SOUTH AMERICA

Progreso under anti-competition investigation

10 years ago

In Mexico, the federal competition body Cofece has opened an investigation into the port of Progreso, in Yucatán, where concerns have been raised over possible barriers to entry and free competition in respect of port services, maritime transport and general cargo.

According to the agency, certain parties have claimed that no effective competition exists in this part of the overall logistics chain in the port.

Progreso is the Yucatán Peninsula’s only maritime outlet and a key hub in distributing cargo to the various communities that exist there. The port handles petroleum, agribulk, containers and minerals, as well as generating significant cruise traffic.

Carlos Mena Labarthe, who heads Cofece, said: “The lack of competition is affecting all the cargo markets that use the port of Progreso. We are worried about possible barriers to entry across various ports. In this respect, this one could be the first of various cases that we will study.”