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Legal maneuvers put Mexican port in a sea of trouble

By Mireles, Ricardo Castillo
Publication: Logistics Today
Date: Thursday, January 1 2004
HEADNOTE

Across the border

A little-known port on Mexico's Pacific coast has become the latest target of controversial shipping company Transportation Maritima Mexicana (TMM), which is now fully linked to Stevedoring

Services of America (SSA).

"I can't tell the difference between the two," says Juan Paratore, administrator of the Port ofLazaro Cardenas (www.puertolazarocardenas.com.mx), about TMM and SSA.

The Port restarted container operations in November 2003 after eight years of devoting its facilities mostly to serving the needs of a local steel mill. Now TMM and its partner, SSA Mexico, have launched what appears to be a smear campaign against the new container operations. The two companies claim a court of law has declared the operations illegal and that TMM/SSA have the right to operate the Port, which is presently being managed by Hutchinson Ports and its Mexican counterpart, Controller and Operator of Terminals (COTSA).

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