Port efficiency is a crucial metric for logistics operators at large. Afterall, even when aiming to import or export cargo to a given country, the choice of a port can yield vastly different results. As companies design their ideal supply chain, they need to understand how reliable each port is and what that means for their operations.

The problem, however, is that measuring port efficiency is complicated. Most rely solely on a metric of wait times at port. But these tend to vary significantly month to month—and even day to day. Not to mention that they could be a result of external factors such as weather disruptions or one-time events like software malfunctions. If companies want to better understand which ports are better at handling their cargo, then they must look at other key metrics.

In this essay, we look at one such alternative. That is, the share of empty containers handled by a port in a given year. Differing from wait times which suggest the current state of a port given a plethora of exogenous events, the share of empty containers handled helps understand the overall dynamics of a port. In particular, it helps grasp which ports spend a considerable amount of time dealing with empty containers which could be considered highly inefficient. After all, consider that every hour spent handling empty cargo is an hour not spent handling full containers that need to be loaded on vessels to ensure a speedy departure.

Port Efficiency in Mexico

More precisely, we focused our analysis on Mexico. This, in part, resulted from two reasons. First, the country puts out comprehensive monthly reports on the performance of each of its ports including, crucially, the number of empty and full containers handled. Second, and equally as important, Mexico has recently come to a global spotlight. As the U.S. imposes tariffs on most of the world, Mexico and Canada have been two of the only countries to avoid considerable damages. As a result, companies are looking at Mexico and Canada as considerable alternatives to offshoring in China or other Asian countries.

Our findings suggest that there is great variance in the efficiency of Mexican ports, specifically when it comes to the share of empty containers handled. Some ports handle as little as 19.4% of empty containers as a share of total cargo, while others go as high as 50%.

But before we look at the specific performance of ports, it is worth exploring nationwide trends. In the figure below, we plotted the share of all containers handled in a year across Mexican ports that were empty or full. Overall, across the time period examined (between 2019 and 2024) roughly a third of all containers handled in the country were empty. Crucially, that number has risen from 30.48% in 2019 to 35.34% in 2024—a notorious increase as the country gains global momentum.

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Since Mexico has two coasts (one in the Pacific and one along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean) it is worth looking at the performance of each of these regions in turn. In the line graph below, we plotted the total number of empty and full con trainers handled by Mexican ports in the Pacific. As the figure shows, both full and empty containers have grown significantly, but at different speeds. Over the last six years, full containers managed at Pacific ports grew by 31.80%. Meanwhile, empty containers grew by 65.40%—over twice the speed as the growth in full containers.

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A similar pattern is true of Mexican ports along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Just as we did with Pacific ports, in the figure below, we plotted the number of containers (both full and empty) handled by said ports between 2019 and 2024. As the graph shows, much like in the Pacific, both categories grew in the period. However, the number full containers handled grew by just 5.13%, while, the number of empty containers grew by 18.20%—that is three and a half times the growth rate as full containers.

All this suggests that Mexican ports are handling increasing numbers of empty cargo at a time where the entire world seeks to relocate to Mexico.

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Thus, the question returns. Which are the most efficient ports in Mexico when it comes to handling empty cargo? We answer this in the bar graph below, where we plotted the share of 2024 cargo for each port that came from empty vs full containers.

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As the figure above shows, Mexican ports handle anywhere between 19.4% and 50% of empty containers as a share of total cargo. The most efficient according to this metric are Altamira (19.4%), Guaymas (20.6%), and Veracruz (31.5%). The least efficient, we should note, are all cargo ports that do not specialize in containers—Pochilingue, Coatzacoalcos, and Tampico. Surprisingly, in Lázaro Cárdenas—the biggest port by TEUs handled in the country—40.5% of all containers handled are empty.

We can also look at the above data as a time series. In the following giraffe, we provide a rank of each port by year (with number one being the most efficient and number 14 the least).

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As the figure shows, over time, the ports of Altamira and Veracruz have dominated the rankings when it comes to handling the least number of empty containers. Below them, the chart gets much bumpier—suggesting higher volatility amongst the ranks. Major ports like Manzanillo have gone from being the fourth most efficient to the eight only to rise back to the sixth spot in recent years. Similarly, Lázaro Cárdenas went from being the eight most efficient to the twelfth in 2023 only to bounce back to the tenth in 2024.

Thus, it should be noted that port efficiency is somewhat volatile—at least when it comes to empty containers. Yet, even still, companies can use the above figures to better estimate the best ports in Mexico—and, when data allows, replicate this methodology for other countries.

Here at Desteia, we want logistics operators to make the best decisions possible when it comes to establishing or improving their supply chains. If you want to see how we leverage data like the above for our clients—using their own communication systems—make sure to schedule a call with our experts.