Cozumel’s FIFTH(?) Cruise Pier Plan Sparks Controversy

Mexico City — Amid growing controversy over Cozumel’s fourth cruise pier, which could be revoked by Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), it has been confirmed that the Quintana Roo Integral Port Administration (APIQROO) has its own port project in the works: the construction of a fifth, state-controlled cruise pier in the island’s northern zone.

The plan is outlined on page 206 of APIQROO’s Port Development Plan and proposes expanding the Cozumel Ferry Terminal northward, where a new cruise-specific terminal would be established under public control. The revelation was first reported by the specialized news portal Info-Transportes.com.mx and coincides with renewed debate over the fourth pier, whose environmental permit is under review by Semarnat head Alicia Bárcena.

Last Friday, Bárcena stated in Quintana Roo that the 2020 authorization issued by her agency for the fourth pier “could be revoked.” This shift follows opposition from key figures in Quintana Roo’s bipartisan government, who have recently voiced concerns about the project.

Competing Projects

The state-backed proposal would directly compete with the privately led Muelles del Caribe S.A. de C.V. initiative, which holds a federal concession granted in 2021 and involves a projected investment of nearly 1 billion pesos. The private project has faced repeated delays due to environmental concerns over its proposed location in the Villablanca maritime zone.

However, APIQROO’s Port Development Plan asserts that marine life in the area is “practically nonexistent,” describing it as a 250-meter shelf ending in a steep 300-meter-deep drop-off. This claim contradicts environmental objections raised against the private project, according to Info-Transportes.

Legal and Logistical Challenges

The state government holds a port concession covering all waterfront areas in Quintana Roo, including the site of the proposed private pier. This concession was extended via the Fifth Addendum to APIQROO’s Title of Concession, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) on September 18, 2023.

The coexistence of both projects has raised concerns among Cozumel’s business and tourism sectors, which are calling for clear technical and legal criteria to govern new port infrastructure on the island—one of the Caribbean’s top cruise destinations.

The situation remains fluid as Semarnat’s final decision on the fourth pier could reshape Cozumel’s port development landscape.