Cancún, Quintana Roo — A new shipyard in Quintana Roo, now about 80% complete, is poised to become one of the largest in Central America and the Caribbean, addressing a critical need for vessel repair and maintenance in the region, according to industry officials.
Francisco Fernández Millar, president of the Nautical Association of Quintana Roo, said the facility will be located in the northern part of the state and will feature advanced technology and logistics to serve the growing fleet operating in the Mexican Caribbean.
“It will be one of the largest shipyards in Central America and the Caribbean. We already have the land, and this is a project we have worked on for years. It cannot be that we are the most important nautical destination in the Caribbean region and have nowhere to repair our boats,” Fernández Millar said.
Currently, the nearest large-capacity shipyard is in Progreso, Yucatán, which significantly increases costs for boat owners. Fernández Millar noted that a maintenance job that might originally cost around 100,000 pesos can rise to 600,000 or 700,000 pesos when factoring in transportation, port fees, lodging, food, and other expenses.
The new shipyard is expected to eliminate most of those additional costs, benefiting both tourism companies and private owners. About 40% of the state’s vessels are currently on a waiting list to enter a shipyard, with wait times of up to six months, as the only existing facility in Quintana Roo is on Isla Mujeres.
Once operational, the new complex could handle between 80 and 150 small and medium-sized vessels simultaneously. For example, a 30-foot boat could be towed in, receive painting and basic maintenance, and return to the water the same day for about 5,000 pesos.
The total investment amount has not been disclosed, but officials described it as a multi-million-dollar project, with the final figure depending on specialized infrastructure, technical equipment, and regulatory permits.
