RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.16
17March 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0677)
Original: Spanish Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
COMMUNICATION FROM MEXICO
Response totheQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services
The following communication iscirculated attherequest ofMexico toMembers ofthe
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services.
_______________
I. Market Structure
1. Annex I.
Trade
2. Annexes IIandIII.
3. Annexes IIandIII.
4. Annex IV.
5. Annex V.
Organization OfCargo
6. This information isnotavailable.
7. This information isnotavailable.
8. This information isnotavailable.
9. There arenobilateral agreements onmaritime services other thanthose applied inaccordance
with theUnited Nations Code ofConduct forLiner Conferences.
10. In1993 314,380 containers were used deep-sea traffic, i.e.atotal of463,437 TEUs.
11. This information isnotavailable.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.16
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Ports andAuxiliary Services
12. Annex VI.
13. Auxiliary services arenotprovided byforeign suppliers.
14. None ofthecompanies thatprovide services inthemaritime sector iswholly foreign-owned.
II. Regulatory Structure
General
1. Thechainofmaritimeauthorityisasfollows:fromtheFederalGovernmentthroughtheMinistry
ofCommunications andTransport totheDirectorate-General ofMaritime Trade andthen down to
theHarbour Master 'sOffices and, abroad, theMexican Consuls inconformity with Articles 6,7and
8oftheShipping Act.
2. Shipping Act.
3. Shipping Act.
4. Articles 8and9oftheRegulations onInternational Multimodal Transport listallthenecessary
requirements, which include thatthecompany must beestablished according toMexican law.
5. Shipping Act(Articles 35,36and37)
Ports Act(Article 25)
6. This means deep-sea navigation, which includes international maritime transport andtowing,
which isopen toallshipowners andvessels ofallcountries provided there isreciprocity intheterms
ofinternational agreements. Cabotage andinland shipping arenotincluded, inconformity with
Articles 33and34oftheShipping Act.
7. Anational shipping enterprise isanatural orlegal person which usesandoperates oneormore
vessels which itowns orwhich areinitspossession, even when thisdoes notconstitute itsprincipal
activity.
Ashipowner-operator (armador) isanowner (naviero) orshipping company responsible fitting
out,provisioning, equipping andmanning thevessel andmaintaining itinnavigable condition inorder
touseandoperate it.
Anoperator (operador) isanatural orlegal person who, although notashipowner (naviero
orarmador), concludes maritime transport contracts inhisname fortheuseofshipping space which
heinhisturn hasnegotiated.
Anowner (proprietario) isanatural orlegal person inwhom arevested realproperty rights
inoneorseveral vessels orships under anylegal title, inconformity with Article 16,Chapter IIIof
theShipping Act.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.16
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Market Access
8. Norestrictions exist.
(a) No.
(b) No.
(c) No.
(d) No,except forships flying theMexican flag, whose crew must beMexican bybirth
(Article 22and23oftheShipping Act).
Only maritime lawrequires maritime transport services suppliers andtheliketobeestablished
inaccordance with Mexican law.
9. Seeprevious paragraph.
10. Article 7,Section IV,paragraphs, p,q,r,andt,oftheForeign Investment Actlaysdown
amaximumlimitof49percentforAPIs("IntegralPortAdministrationentities"),portservices,shipping
companies, andfuelandoilsupply ofvessels. Article 8,Sections IandII,specifies thecases where
more than 49percent may beallowed forport services andshipping companies.
11. Only natural andlegal persons established inaccordance with national legislation may have
vessels flying theMexican flag. (Article 10oftheShipping Act).
National Treatment
12. No.
Access And UseOfPort Facilities
13. Wherever these services exist intheport, they aremade available toallvessels.
14. Pilotage (Article 48,Shipping Act)
Towing (Article 52,Shipping Act)
Navigation aids(Inconformity with international agreements)
15. All.
16. No.
17. No. (Articles 12and45ofthePort Act)
18. No.
19. No. Allregulations onmaritime transport andtrade stem from theMexican State.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.16
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Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment
20. No. Theagreements signed with other countries refer tothefreeaccess ofthecontracting
parties 'shipping companies totheir respective traffic.
21. Idem.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. No.
25. Where theprinciples offreecompetition arenotobserved andthenational economy isaffected,
Article 33oftheShipping Actprovides thepossibility ofreserving wholly orpartially specific deep-sea
international transport forMexican companies.
26. Article 30oftheShipping Actstates thatwhere there isnoreciprocity, navigation inMexican
maritime zones anddocking atMexican ports may bedenied.
Government Procurement
27. No. Non-commercial cargoes areunderstood tobegovernment orhumanitarian cargoes.
28. No.
Competition Law
29. Regarding rules oncompetition andmonopoly theFederal ActonEconomic Competition
generally applies.
Shipping Conferences
30. TheMexican Government hasnospecific requirement fortheadmission ofnewmembers to
anyconference.However,conferencesapplytheprovisionsonthemembershipofconferences(Article1
oftheCode ofConduct forLiner Conferences).
31. Themaritime authority must benotified ofconference agreements.
32. Article 7,Section XIV, oftheShipping Actprovides thatconferences must filetheir rate
schedules with themaritime authority.
33. Thesphere ofaction oftheconferences falls within theframework established bytheCode
ofConduct forLiner Conferences.
34. Idem.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.16
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Shipper/Carrier Relations
35. Relations between shippers andcarriers arecarried outonaprivate basis. However, Chapter II
oftheShipping Actlaysdown theunderlying principles oftherelationship between thetwoparties.
36. Shippers andshipping companies negotiate theterms ofmaritime freight rates directly when
these areoutoftheordinary.
Themaritime authority plays aconciliatory rolewhenever conflicts arise between disputing
parties.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.16
Page 6ANNEX 1
GENERAL OFFICE FOR MARITIME TRADE
INFORMATICS AND STATISTICS OFFICE
Mexican Trade Fleet
Vessels Over 1000 Tons ofGross Tonnage
TYPES OFVESSELS NO. OFVESSELS GROSS TONNAGE NET TONNAGE DEADWEIGHT TONNAGE
Supply vessels 0 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sulphur tankers 2 29,866.00 8,960.00 45,050.00
General cargo 12 137,093.62 44,691.72 116,306.00
Barges 31 72,542.48 29,722.71 106,690.29
Fire-boats 0 0.00 0.00 0.00
Dredgers 12 32,050.57 13,234.82 35,531.00
Gas carriers 8 182,444.35 103,192.97 314,299.00
Bulk carriers 1 11,395.00 6,491.00 0.00
Research vessels 1 1,000.64 552.04 300.00
Other 30 168,972.86 85,271.48 178,792.48
Passenger 0 0.00 0.00 0.00
Chemical tankers 3 41,026.80 25,419.00 69,193.00
Tug boats 1 1,508.00 0.00 0.00
Tankers 30 506,964.53 299,803.54 759,121.39
Ferries 8 36,260.81 15,611.39 9,792.00
Mobile drilling units 7 28,380.09 12,869.83 9,543.00
Fishing boats 58 75,841.89 29,608.64 65,118.00
Total 204 1,325,347.64 675,429.14 1,709,736.16S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.16
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TOTAL MOVEMENT OFCARGO AND VESSELS
1993
TOTAL INMEXICO 183,450 MILLION TONS
DEEP SEA 121,929 MILLION TONS
COASTAL 61,521 MILLION TONS
NO. OFCONTAINERS 314,380
TEUs 463,437
TYPE OFCARGO MAIN PORTS
OIL CALLO ARCAS
20MILLION TONS PAJARITOS
PER PORT DOS BOCAS
SALINA CRUZ
ORE ISLA DECEDROS
1MILLION TONS GUERRERO NEGRO
PER PORT SAN MARCOS
PUNTA VENADOS Q.ROO
LAZARO CARDENAS
GENERAL CARGO VERACRUZ
1/2MILLION TONS MANZANILLO
PER PORT TAMPICO
LAZARO CARDENAS
ALTAMIRA
BULK GRAIN VERACRUZ
1MILLION TONS MANZANILLO
PER PORT COATZACOALCOS
PROGRESO
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*Preliminary data
Source: Directorate-General ofPorts.