Port of Lázaro Cárdenas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Port of Lázaro Cárdenas |
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| Location | |
| Country | Mexico |
| Location | Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán |
| Coordinates | 17°55′37″N 102°10′08″W / 17.927°N 102.169°W |
| Details | |
| Owned by | Port Authority of Lázaro Cárdenas |
| Type of harbor | Natural/Artificial |
| Size of harbor | 160 ha (0.62 sq mi) |
| Land area | 25 ha (0.097 sq mi) |
| Size | 185 ha (0.71 sq mi) |
| Available berths | 15 |
| Wharfs | 22 |
| Statistics | |
| Vessel arrivals | 1,522 vessels (2012) |
| Annual cargo tonnage | 30,671,996 tonnes (2012) |
| Annual container volume | 1,242,777 TEU's (2012) |
The Port of Lázaro Cárdenas is a very important seaport in Mexico. It is one of the biggest ports in the Pacific Ocean area. This port can handle about 25 million tonnes of cargo each year. It also manages 2,200,000 TEUs, which are standard-sized shipping containers.
In November 2003, the Mexican Navy took control of the port to make sure it operated safely and correctly.
Contents
What is the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas?
Lázaro Cárdenas has a special deep-water seaport. This means very large ships can easily come and go. The port handles different kinds of goods. These include containers (big metal boxes), dry bulk (like grains or minerals), and liquid cargo (like oil).
The port currently has one main area for containers. In 2012, it handled 1.24 million TEUs. It can handle up to 2.2 million TEUs every year. There are plans to build another container area. This would allow the port to handle 3.4 million TEUs by 2015 and 6.5 million TEUs by 2020.
Goods move to and from the port by both road and train. Kansas City Southern de México is the only company that provides train service. This port is becoming very important for shipping containers. This is partly because other ports in the United States, like Los Angeles and Long Beach, can get very crowded. Lázaro Cárdenas is also closer to big cities like Chicago, Kansas City, and Houston.
To prepare for more goods, the roads and train tracks in central Mexico have been improved. This helps move items quickly to the United States.
The Salamanca-Lazaro Cardenas gas pipeline ends at this port.
How Busy is the Port?
In 2012, the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas handled over 30 million tonnes of cargo. It also managed more than 1.2 million TEUs. This made it the busiest cargo port in Mexico. It was also one of the largest container ports in the country.
Here are some numbers showing how busy the port was between 2004 and 2008:
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoRo (number of cars) | 0 | 24,923 | 88,669 | 114,276 | 112,457 |
| Liquid bulk* | 932,000 | 919,000 | 1,281,000 | 1,841,000 | 2,275,000 |
| Dry bulk* | 10,165,000 | 12,940,000 | 13,895,000 | 11,234,000 | 5,804,000 |
| Break bulk* | 2,910,000 | 2,785,000 | 2,587,000 | 2,719,000 | 1,809,000 |
| Containers (TEU's) | 43,445 | 132,479 | 160,696 | 270,240 | 524,791 |
| Containers* | 323,000 | 1,030,000 | 1,159,000 | 1,544,000 | 4,240,000 |
| Total*' | 14,330,000 | 17,674,000 | 18,992,000 | 17,693,000 | 20,860,647 |
- * figures are in tonnes
Different Areas of the Port (Terminals)
The Port of Lázaro Cárdenas has special areas called terminals. These terminals are designed for different types of goods. Some are public, meaning anyone can use them, and some are private.
Public Terminals
- Grain terminal: This area is 15,064 m2 (162,150 sq ft) big. It is used for storing and moving grains like corn or wheat.
- Multi use terminals: These areas are 62,889 m2 (676,930 sq ft) big. They can handle many different kinds of cargo.
- Container terminals: These are very large areas, 634,120 m2 (6,825,600 sq ft) big. They are where the big shipping containers are loaded, unloaded, and stored.
Private Terminals
- Mineral terminal: This area is 60,328 m2 (649,370 sq ft) big. It handles minerals, which are natural substances dug from the earth.
- Fluid terminal: This is a huge area, 1,783,413 m2 (19,196,500 sq ft) big. It is used for liquid goods, like oil or chemicals.
- Coal terminal: This area is 1,163,408 m2 (12,522,820 sq ft) big. It is specifically for handling and storing coal.
- Fertilizer terminal: This area is 1,487,381 m2 (16,010,040 sq ft) big. It is used for fertilizers, which help plants grow.
See also
In Spanish: Puerto Lázaro Cárdenas para niños
