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Port plans to make up for lost time
By Adam Thomson

Published: March 30 2010 16:30 | Last updated: March 30 2010 16:30

Ask most people what comes to mind when they think of Veracruz and the chances are that they will mention the 1954 film of the same name with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster. But Alejandro Chacón, Mexico’s director of ports, aims to change that.

Work has already begun on vastly expanding the Gulf of Mexico port’s infrastructure to the north of the existing installations. Called the BahÃ*a de Vergara, the new area will act as a logistics centre for the port, diverting heavy transport from the city centre and making it more accessible.

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The works are part of the biggest infrastructure investment drive in decades.

Mr Chacón says that if all goes to plan, the government’s overarching strategy until 2012 will increase container-handling capacity to about 7m TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) compared with just 4m in 2006, when President Felipe Calderón took office.

Moreover, the push will involve billions of dollars in new investment from public and private resources.

This year alone, for example, the target is to invest 7bn pesos ($560m) in the sector, with just over 2bn pesos coming from the private sector.

“Some people think that is excessive,â€