SEMAR Unveils 2025-2030 Plan for the Interoceanic Corridor

The Government of Mexico, throaugh the Mexican Navy (SEMAR), unveiled the Institutional Program of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (PICIIT) 2025-2030, which outlines a long-term development strategy to consolidate the Interoceanic Corridor as a multimodal logistics platform.

Anchored in the National Development Plan 2025-2030, the program aims to strengthen the country’s competitiveness through infrastructure modernization, port and rail connectivity, and sustainable industrial development across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, spanning 120 municipalities in Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tabasco, and Chiapas, home to over 5.1 million people.

Four Strategic Objectives

The PICIIT 2025–2030 sets four main objectives to transform the southern region into a global logistics hub. The first is to modernize and expand port infrastructure under the Administrations of the National Port System (ASIPONA) in Coatzacoalcos, Salina Cruz, Dos Bocas, and Puerto Chiapas, which together handle nearly 20% of Mexico’s total maritime cargo. The plan focuses on increasing loading and unloading efficiency, upgrading terminals, and boosting interport coordination through the Ferrocarril Interoceánico network.

The second is to improve the movement of cargo and passengers by rehabilitating 1,200km of railways, including the strategic Coatzacoalcos-Salina Cruz line, and by modernizing the Trans-Isthmic Highway to reduce transit times, improve logistics efficiency, and strengthen multimodal links with Dos Bocas and Puerto Chiapas.

The third is to strengthen the Development Poles for Well-Being (PODEBI), industrial development zones offering fiscal incentives for investors, including tax exemptions and accelerated depreciation, to attract national and foreign investment and create high-quality jobs Finally, the fourth objective is to align federal and state public policies to ensure efficient implementation, transparent governance, and sustainable regional integration.

Infrastructure and Economic Impact

During 2024, the National Port System mobilized 272.6 million t of cargo, with the four CIIT ports accounting for nearly one-fifth of the national total. Coatzacoalcos represented 10.2% of the country’s cargo, Dos Bocas 6.6%, Salina Cruz 4%, and Puerto Chiapas 0.09%. These ports maintain connections with 82 international destinations, including 15 of the world’s top 100 container ports, strengthening Mexico’s maritime trade links with Asia, the European Union, and North America.

Meanwhile, the revitalization of the Interoceanic Railway, linking Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz, will enable interoceanic cargo movement and passenger services, enhancing national and cross-border connectivity with Central America.

Between 2019 and 2024, the region experienced a threefold increase in formal employment, generating over 107,000 new jobs, and lifted 2.3 million people out of poverty. The PICIIT aims to consolidate these advances by fostering inclusive industrialization and reducing labor informality, which still affects over 70% of the local workforce.