• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
Mexico's maritime competitiveness no longer depends solely on building more docks or expanding navigation channels. Today, it also involves streamlining customs, digitizing processes, strengthening coordination between authorities and companies, and responding more quickly to an increasingly dynamic international trade. In this context, the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents (Amanac) reaches its 39th anniversary this August 6, after almost four decades accompanying the evolution of the maritime-port system and consolidating itself as one of the main representative bodies of Mexican foreign trade.
The history of Amanac began in 1987, when seven shipping agencies decided to create an organization capable of homogeneously representing the interests of the sector in a context marked by labor conflicts, union negotiations, and a maritime trade that was beginning to transform. What started as a business initiative ended up becoming a permanent interlocutor between the industry, authorities, and the different actors of Mexican foreign trade, an evolution that has allowed for a continuous work agenda over almost four decades.
Over the years, the association expanded its scope far beyond guild representation. Port saturation, customs bottlenecks, road insecurity, abandoned cargo, and the need to modernize logistical operations have positioned Amanac as one of the business organizations that constantly participates in the analysis and construction of proposals to improve the competitiveness of Mexican foreign trade.
This role has also been strengthened through collaboration with other chambers and business associations, as well as with authorities linked to the maritime-port sector. Under this vision of building common positions, Amanac has promoted initiatives to facilitate trade and address problems affecting the entire logistics chain, in addition to consolidating its presence in international organizations such as the Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers and Agents (FONASBA), the Inter-American Chamber of National Associations of Maritime Agents (CIANAM), the Caribbean Cruise Federation, and the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Currently, Amanac brings together nearly 70 shipping agencies that represent the vast majority of vessel calls and maritime cargo moved through the country's ports, a position that has made it one of the main voices of the national maritime industry and a regular interlocutor on issues affecting the development of the Mexican port system.
The 39th anniversary also coincides with the beginning of a new institutional stage. The current administration, headed by Roberto Meillón, has proposed an agenda aimed at strengthening the association's role through the professionalization of the sector, the promotion of the Amanac Institute, the adoption of new technological tools, process certification, and greater participation in strategic issues for the maritime and port industry.
In parallel, the organization has promoted greater visibility for the figure of the shipping agent, an indispensable link for maritime trade operations, but historically little known outside the sector. Among its main initiatives is the drive to institutionalize Shipping Agent's Day, which is commemorated every August 6, as well as various actions aimed at recognizing the contribution of these professionals to the functioning of ports and Mexican foreign trade.
Almost four decades after its founding, Amanac reaches this anniversary at a time when Mexico seeks to strengthen its position in global supply chains through port investments, more agile processes, and more efficient logistics. In this scenario, the ability to generate consensus between industry and authorities will continue to be one of the main assets of an association that has evolved at the same pace as the national maritime system.
