APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas received its first official vessel call with the arrival of the 9,600-TEU Maersk Salalah on the AC2 Transpacific service from Asia.

APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas TC2 is a semi-automated terminal designed to deliver higher productivity and availability for clients, as well as contribute to Mexican trade growth by offering a new gateway for commerce between the second-largest economy in Latin America and the rest of the world.

“Mexico is a core part of our strategy of investing in growth markets and building state-of-the-art facilities to run more efficiently the supply chain from the heart of Mexico to Asia and the rest of the Americas,” noted APM Terminals Mexico Managing Director Jose Rueda.

With the first phase of the terminal complete, APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas occupies an area of 121 acres, with a quay of 2,460 feet in length for ships and a depth of 54 feet, deep enough to receive some of the world’s largest container ships. The terminal is connected to five rail tracks and offers gate services for land-side customers.

By the final phase of the terminal buildout, which is expected between 2027 and 2030, the terminal’s alongside depth will increase to 59 feet. At completion, the terminal will have a 4,900-foot long quay and a total area of 252 acres, with an annual throughput capacity of 4.1 million TEU, as well as 15 STS cranes and 10 rail tracks, providing intermodal access. The total investment cost of the TEC2 project will be $900 million.

Mexico handles Latin America’s third largest container volume, after Brazil and Panama.