Mexican Caribbean Hit with New Port Fees During Holy Week

Residents of the Mexican Caribbean coast are concerned about the financial impact of new port charges introduced by APIQROO. These charges, authorized by SEMAR, will apply to route, tourist, and cargo ships from Wednesday, April 16th, coinciding with the peak of the Holy Week holiday.

APIQROO has been authorized to increase charges by almost 5% for docking, wharfage, and passenger boarding and disembarking for vessels using the port facilities it manages. In Isla Mujeres, the cost for docking each route vessel for an hour or part thereof will be 25.47 pesos per meter of length. This applies to the smallest Ultramar vessels, which range between 24 meters for the "Ultrajet" and 29.8 meters for the "City Jet".

The cost for passenger embarkation or disembarkation from route vessels will be 11.46 pesos per person, payable to the port administrator. The fees for ferry docking and wharfage have been set at 1,273.15 pesos per operation for up to two hours, while the cost for boarding or disembarking ferry passengers will be 6.36 pesos.

Currently, APIQROO charges 1,213.68 pesos per operation for up to two hours and 6.06 pesos for boarding or disembarking passengers from Ultracarga ships. Each Ultramar vessel pays 24.28 pesos per meter length per hour or part thereof and 10.92 pesos per boarding or disembarking passenger, until the new rates take effect.

In practical terms, a fully loaded ship will pay APIQROO a minimum of 3,312.72 pesos per operation. This includes 582.72 pesos for wharfage each time one of its smallest vessels, with a capacity for 250 passengers, docks or departs from the Isla Mujeres Maritime Terminal and 2,730 pesos for the total number of passengers. With the new rates, APIQROO will receive 3,476.28 pesos per operation: 611.28 for wharfage and 2,865 for the 250 passengers transported by an Ultrajet type vessel, the smallest in the fleet.

The concern is that this government, which claims to prioritize the interests of the people, requested the rate increase from SEMAR. Islanders fear that Ultramar will increase the cost of the crossing fee, especially as the company recently applied a 10% increase to the roundtrip ticket, raising the price from 100 to 110 pesos, despite the subpar service offered to its users.

Passengers currently report waits of more than 40 minutes, with unreliable schedules and ships in poor condition. These issues could worsen when APIQROO begins applying the new rates. Ships currently depart every 30 minutes during peak hours and every 60 minutes during off-peak times, but these frequencies could increase if the shipping company feels that the new APIQROO rates are affecting their profits.