July 3rd, 2025 – In an effort to offer shippers alternative options for cross-border shipping to avoid surface delays and address security concerns, a Mexico-based transportation company – Green Tide Logistics – is set to launch a twice-monthly combined ocean-trucking service between Mexico’s Gulf Coast and the U.S. East Coast.
Green Tide Logistics’ new service connects Veracruz to Philadelphia via truck and multi-purpose vessels (MPVs), shortening transit time to five to six days versus the typical 10-day transit time via truck only. The trucks and MPVs are capable of handling 1,200 to 1,700 TEUs.
The Veracruz-Philadelphia service is scheduled to begin July 28th with a single time-chartered MPV, with the goal of expanding to a two-vessel weekly service in the fourth quarter.
The service will transport cargo from inland Mexico by truck to the ports of Tuxpan and Coatzacoalcos, where it will be shipped by sea to Philadelphia. Upon arrival in the U.S., customers can opt for either truck or rail to complete final delivery.
The Veracruz-Philadelphia service is Green Tide Logistics newest attempt to tap into the evolving U.S.-Mexico ocean trade, which represents less than half a percent of total U.S. ocean imports, despite a significant drop in volume from Mexico since 2019.
Crowley, a U.S. based ocean carrier, recently began a three-day ocean service from Tuxpan to Gulfport, Mississippi back in May, following another multimodal Mexico-U.S. Crowley service that launched in 2023.
The Green Tide vessels will carry a mix of cargo, including 40-foot and 20-foot containers, 53-foot domestic containers, refrigerated units, and bulk freight. Data shows that the leading ocean-shipped commodities on this route so far this year include beer, liqueurs, watermelons, ethyl alcohol, and coffee.
In May, Mexico shipped 2,749 TEUs by ocean to the East Coast of North America (ECNA). While that represents a 26% increase from the previous month, it’s still down 29% year-over-year. Since May 2019, when ECNA received 5,619 TEUs from Mexico, the overall ocean trade has declined by 51%.
Despite the modest market size, there is growing interest in Mexico–U.S. ocean service. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S. imported nearly $506 billion in goods from Mexico last year – a 6.4% increase over 2023 – the majority of which moved by truck.
