Analyzing the performance of the logistics sector in Baja California and it’s competitive advantages compared to the world, contributing to strengthen the multimodal chain and the coordination of actors, and communicating the new investments in the industry were some of the objectives of the Second BCL Logistics Forum which took place on April 15th in Ensenada, Baja California.
The Forum, jointly organized by 2Mun2 Events, Business Conexion, MXI and T21 , welcomed 170 representatives of government, academia, and private initiatives. The program included twenty speakers from the leadership of the region’s logistical sector.
With regard to port connectivity, Hector Bautista Mejia, General Director of Ensenada’s Complete Port Management (API) emphasized the growth of the Port of Ensenada during the 2012-2015 period. With a 52% increase in container movement and 59% in cruise-ship attention, the port is positioned as Mexico’s most important mixed-use port. In 2015, it mobilized more than 2 million tons of freight for the industrial, maquiladora, energy, and agriculture sectors of the region. This growth in the movement of containers has been supported by a 170 percent increase in merchandise storage facilities over the same time period.
“The unloading capacity of the ships at the Port of Ensenada is sufficient to meet the market´s demand as forecast in the Port Development Master Plan”, stated Javier Rodriguez Miranda. “Nevertheless, capacity will not be sufficient levels to sustain this volume without an adequate logistics infrastructure for the movement of merchandise over land (truck and railroad) and without adequate planning for the release of merchandise.”
“The port infrastructure should be in equilibrium with the road and railroad infrastructure that grants access to markets and allows for the agile operation of the load,” he went on.
One project that is predicted to significantly impact commercial ease of crossing and border flow at the binational level is the Otay II Border Crossing. This new port of entry will guarantee 20-minute crossing times for commercial vehicles and load trucks through a new variable toll system. In addition, it will decongest the other border crossings reducing losses derived from high wait times, calculated at $7.2 billion dollars in both countries.
The Tijuana International Airport also holds great potential as an air cargo center, according to Matias Ramirez, Commercial Manager of Ports, Airports, and Transportation in the Direction for Transportation of INDRA Mexico. The airport boasts a runway at sea level with the necessary length to facilitate long radio load operations. In addition, it is the point closest to Asia and the only airport in Latin America from which non-stop connections to Asia are possible.
