Semar and its half-century concession in Acapulco

By Sandra Romandía

How is it possible that the Secretary of the Navy authorizes the concession for the integral port administration of the Port Precinct and Federal Maritime Zone and, at the same time, is the recipient of that concession but in the form of a company? Does this not represent an obvious conflict of interest? What is the real purpose behind this operation that was conceived two months before the arrival of Hurricane Otis in Acapulco?

In a recent investigation that we published in Emeequis entitled Acapulco: Semar gave itself concession for half a century, two months before Otis from the pen of Esteban David Rodríguez, this situation is evidenced. The panorama becomes darker when analyzing the context of the transfer of authority in port matters from the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation to the Secretariat of the Navy. This change, decreed in 2020, put the Semar in charge of port administrations, granting it the power to grant concessions and permits. A strategic move that culminated in the creation of the "Administración del Sistema Portuario Nacional Acapulco, S.A. de C.V.", with the participation of the Semar and the Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Públicos (Banobras).