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Mexico’s 8.7 percent year-over-year growth in cargo volumes through its ports in 2018, and 7.1 percent growth in the first quarter of 2019, is increasing pressure on the nation’s port system. Truck congestion, slow cargo removal from terminals, and longer dwell times are among the challenges, as is the ever present security threat. Ports are adapting, but will it be enough, and in a timely enough fashion? The Port of Manzanillo, which was seen as operating at close to capacity during last fall’s peak shipping season, is extending the hours of its customs operation to provide 24/7 service. The port also is creating half a dozen storage yards a few miles inland to reduce the congestion and truck flow in and out of the port terminals. With a new Hutchison Group terminal scheduled to open in June, the Port of Veracruz expects to leave behind the ship congestion of the old terminal, where a shortage of berths kept ships waiting to dock. Still, the imbalance of trade through the ports means that others have capacity to spare, most notably the Lazaro Cardenas and Tuxpan, both with semi-automated terminals that could easily handle more cargo. In addition, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) wants to modernize two other ports, Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalacos, as part of a plan to improve the railway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec — the narrowest point between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific — so that it can compete for cargo with the Panama Canal. Veteran port operators, ocean carriers, and beneficial cargo owners on this panel will analyze how prepared the Mexican port system is for the rising tide of cargo — after five years of vigorous promotion by former President Enrique Peña Nieto.