Progreso Port Dredging: 1.5B Peso Investment Begins

Mérida, Yucatán — The first stage of dredging for the Port of Progreso is set to begin imminently, funded by 1.5 billion pesos from a loan secured during the previous state administration, according to Ermilo Barrera Novelo, Secretary of Economy and Labor of Yucatán (SETY).

Prior to his participation in the presentation of Mérida Restaurant Week in the central courtyard of the Olimpo Cultural Center, the state official revealed that the Belgian company Jean De Nul won the international public tender launched by the State Government for these works, in which several European firms participated.

Consequently, he stated that the Belgian company has brought a dredging vessel to begin the project's first stage, which will include inspections, supervision, a final compliance phase, testing, and the operational stage. He confirmed that all necessary permits are in place for the dredger to commence work.

"All the permits for the dredging to begin are already in place; in fact, the dredger can already be seen maneuvering and work will begin in the coming days. We will have the dredger working for several months, and it came all the way from Belgium to carry out this work, as there are fewer than ten vessels in the world capable of performing these tasks," he indicated.

Regarding the financing for these works, Barrera Novelo noted that 1.5 billion pesos are being executed from the 3.063 billion peso loan approved by the State Congress for the previous government to launch the expansion and modernization project of the Port of Progreso.

Concerning the remaining amount of the loan, the head of SETY stated that it has not yet been defined which part of the project it will be allocated to, as once the dredging work by the Belgian company is completed, the Government of Mexico will begin its own dredging and platform construction actions in 2026.