The news
Hapag-Lloyd will launch a weekly container service connecting China and South Korea with Mexico’s Pacific coast in January. The service, called AMX, will link Ningbo, Qingdao and Busan with Ensenada, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas.
Hapag-Lloyd will run AMX on its own, outside any vessel-sharing deal, which it says will give it more control over operations and improve schedule reliability.
From Mexico, shippers will be able to connect cargo to Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia through transshipment, rather than direct calls.
Why it matters: Mexican importers get another weekly direct shipping option from China and South Korea to three Pacific ports. Hapag-Lloyd will also have greater control over the service's schedule and operations.
The details
The service covers two of Mexico's busiest container ports, which handled 71% of the country's container traffic in the first nine months of the year. Manzanillo's container volume rose 9.5% over the period, while traffic at the country's Gulf ports fell about 5%, according to Mexican Navy data.
Manzanillo recorded 1,306 vessel calls through September, up 6% from a year earlier, across 23 shipping lines.
Mexico's overall container volume fell 8.3% in September from August, marking its second consecutive monthly decline.
The growth comes despite Mexico raising tariffs on imports from China and South Korea to as much as 50% on more than 1,400 products. The new rates took effect in January and apply to countries without a trade agreement with Mexico. They affect about $52 billion in annual imports, or 8% to 9% of the country's total.
The affected products include autos, auto parts, steel, plastics, clothing, appliances, toys and footwear.
Most face tariffs of up to 35%, while some steel, textiles and auto parts face rates of 50%.
AMX is one of two Latin America services Hapag-Lloyd plans to operate independently next year, following changes to its vessel-sharing arrangements. The other is its ASX service from China and Southeast Asia to Brazil, which is scheduled to start in April.
MSC and Ocean Network Express (ONE) will take over the Ipanema service to Brazil and the River Plate without Hapag-Lloyd from April.
Hapag-Lloyd previously left JCS, an Asia-Latin America service shared with CMA CGM and Cosco that called at Manzanillo. It ended its participation in February 2025, when it launched the Gemini Cooperation with Maersk.
What peers are doing
Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd's Gemini partner, already operates a standalone Asia service to Lázaro Cárdenas and Manzanillo. Its AC2 service, launched in August, connects Ningbo, Tangshan and Busan with the two Mexican ports.
Since September, Maersk has also operated a shuttle using three 2,500-TEU vessels between Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Balboa in Panama and Posorja in Ecuador.
What's next
Hapag-Lloyd said it will publish AMX's detailed schedule shortly, ahead of the service's first sailing in January.
(Photo: English Hurteau / SC Ports)
