Mexico Breaks Ground on Punta Colonet Port in Baja California

Mexico formally began construction of the Punta Colonet Port in Baja California with a groundbreaking ceremony marking the laying of the project's first stone. The event was led by Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda and included the participation of Tijuana's municipal president, Ismael Burgueño Ruiz, along with representatives from the Secretaría de Marina. The project encompasses port, industrial, and highway infrastructure, with an investment exceeding US$2.18 billion according to mundo maritimo.

Estimates of the investment amount differ across media outlets. While mundo maritimo reported that the project exceeds US$2.18 billion, the logistics world noted that during the ceremony a figure of approximately 40 billion pesos was mentioned. The same source specified that the Port Development Master Plan projects 39.383 billion pesos for infrastructure and equipment, that the official website of the Administración Portuaria Integral de Baja California cites an investment exceeding 37 billion pesos, and that following the event, local and national media reported an investment exceeding 41 billion pesos.

The development, also referred to as the Bahía Colonet Port, includes port facilities, rail and highway connections, industrial and energy infrastructure, as well as a port city. The Administración Portuaria Integral del Estado de Baja California received a 50-year federal concession to plan and administer the facility, which, according to official projections cited by Todo logistica News, could begin operations in 2029. The project envisions rail connections with Arizona and integration with the new Otay II border crossing, as well as a potential Colonet-Mexicali corridor spanning roughly 300 kilometers.

According to estimates presented during the announcement, the development could generate more than 10,500 direct jobs and around 30,000 indirect jobs. Both mundo maritimo and Todo logistica News agreed that the project could help boost Mexican exports through the Pacific Ocean by more than 35%. According to the logistics world, the port is designed to accommodate container ships of up to 24,000 TEU and projects a capacity of nearly four million TEU per year by its 30th year of operation, in a bid to compete with Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handled close to 19.9 million TEU in 2024.

María Abarca, director general of Ports at the Secretaría de Marina, stated that the initiative is aimed at improving the connectivity of Mexico's maritime transport with international trade routes, and that the project has an authorized Port Development Master Plan. For her part, Guadalupe Phillips Margain, director general of Grupo ICA, highlighted Baja California's strategic location for connecting with the United States during the project's presentation.