Isla Mujeres Port Concession Grows Nearly Ninefold After Navy Approves Expansion

Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo — The Isla Mujeres port precinct has expanded from 68,526 square meters to 614,707 square meters after the Mexican Navy granted the Integral Port Administration of Quintana Roo (APIQROO) a sixth addendum to its concession title.

The document, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, formalizes the new surface areas, boundaries and conditions governing the concession. Of the total, 562,066 square meters are maritime zone and 52,640 square meters are land.

The added area covers Polygon 1 at Laguna Macax, Polygon 2, Polygon 3 — the water area of the ferry terminal — and Polygon 4, the water area of the Isla Mujeres passenger vessel terminal.

Broader powers for port authority

With the expansion, APIQROO is authorized to administer, operate and develop port, tourism, commercial and recreational infrastructure and services within that surface.

For the boating community, the change means a larger stretch of water and land falls under the concession holder’s administration, including the zones where ferries, passenger vessels and nautical tourism operators work, along with activities tied to port services.

In practical terms, the polygon boundaries define where APIQROO will exercise administration and use of the facilities, as well as coordinate services inside the precinct.

One of the busiest ports in the Mexican Caribbean

Isla Mujeres is among the busiest passenger ports in the Mexican Caribbean. According to APIQROO statistics, it moved close to 6 million users in 2025 and recorded more than 38,000 ferry departures.

During high season, daily traffic exceeds 20,000 arriving and departing passengers, while in normal periods it holds between 13,000 and 16,000.

The process began on April 25, 2023, when the concession holder requested the removal of a surface area in Chetumal for the Naval Search and Rescue Station. On December 6, 2023, it asked to replace that procedure with the sixth addendum in order to incorporate the Isla Mujeres areas, and on October 11, 2024, it requested an update to the areas that were ultimately included.

Navy Secretary Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles and APIQROO Director General Vagner Elbiorn Vega signed the addendum on September 7, 2026, in Mexico City.