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This new weekly, fixed-day service will provide importers and exporters a competitive new option to serve the expanding trade between Mexico, Florida, and the Southeast, reaching inland destinations throughout the U.S. The new MTS will deploy a 1000-TEU capacity vessel departing Fridays from the Port of Altamira and calling Port Tampa Bay on Mondays.

“We are delighted to welcome the new Tampa – Mexico Shuttle Service,” said Paul Anderson, Port Tampa Bay President and CEO. “Port Tampa Bay has enjoyed a long, successful partnership with ZIM since they began offering global service from the Port in 2003. We are also delighted to celebrate our 75thanniversary along with ZIM’s 75th anniversary by the introduction of this new service.”

Mexico is already Port Tampa Bay’s second-largest trading partner in terms of cargo tonnage, which includes a diverse mix of dry bulk, liquid bulk, break bulk, roll-on/roll-off, as well ascontainer business. 

Under the new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement which went into effect on July 1, trade between the U.S. and Mexico is expected to grow and the new MTS service will provide a more efficient alternative to the current costly and congested overland routes.  

Port Tampa Bay is Florida’s largest port and one of the most diversified ports in the U.S. It is also the closest port to the Tampa Bay/Orlando I-4 corridor, the state’s fastest-growing region and home to Florida’s largest concentration of distribution centers, as well as its hub for the grocery/food and beverage sector.