Contecon Manzanillo is first carbon-neutral port in Mexico

Contecon Manzanillo S.A. de C.V. (Contecon Manzanillo), a business unit of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) and concessionaire of the Specialized Container Terminal of the North Zone of the Port of Manzanillo (TEC-II), is the first organization across the Mexican port industry to be certified carbon neutral.

The Carbon Neutrality UNE-14064-3:2019 certification recognizes Contecon Manzanillo’s commitment to global initiatives to combat climate change, promote renewable energy and decarbonize ports and maritime transport. Earning this distinction favoring the environment consolidates Contecon’s leadership as a vanguard port terminal in favor of Manzanillo, Colima and Mexico.

The carbon neutrality certificate highlights the company’s efforts to offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through reduction and compensation practices. These efforts include counteracting and maintaining zero emission from equipment such as cranes, port tractors, air conditioners and other polluting sources; compensating for emissions through sponsorships of forests and protected areas; and initiating sustainable initiatives like execution of circular economies and incorporation of technologies that reduce the operational impact of the Port of Manzanillo – the primary port in the Mexican Pacific.

Passing the audit performed by TÜV RHEINLAND, Contecon Manzanillo demonstrated its ability to adequately reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and move forward in a timely manner towards an energy transition across Mexico’s maritime transport. In 2021, the company’s direct and indirect CO2e emissions amounted to 25,368.67 tons while total offset emissions amounted to 25,369 tons.

The certification delivery protocol event on 27 January was attended by federal authorities headed by Rear Admiral Víctor Manuel Ozuna Díaz, general director of Port Development and Administration and representative of Navy Secretary Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán; and Lic. Franciso Rodríguez García, Colima secretary of Economic Development.

According to the study Energy Transition of Maritime Transport: Strategic Opportunities in Mexico conducted by the Global Maritime Forum and the University College London, regional and global maritime transport effectively connects economies through the movement of goods and currently represents between 80 percent and 90 percent of world trade. The shipping sector emits two to three percent of global GHG emissions and contributes around 13 percent of sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions to global air pollution. Hence the urgency and commitment to undertake a transformation of the port industry towards increasingly sustainable practices.