Vulcan Materials: US firm says Mexican authorities illegally seized its port terminal

Vulcan Materials, a US construction products firm stated that Mexican authorities illegally took over and closed its port terminal last week. Read to know more about the issue as the legal battle over the mining of limestone drags.

What is Vulcan Materials claiming?

On Monday, US construction materials firm Vulcan Materials stated that Mexican security forces illegally closed its port terminal in southern Mexico. It took place on Thursday in the terminal in Playa del Carmen and further drags the five-year legal battle over the firm’s concessions. Vulcan Materials markets crushed stone, asphalt, and ready-mixed concrete. It revealed the authorities were joined by workers from Cemex, a Mexican cement company.

“We are shocked in Cemex and in the Mexican government entities that supported this reckless and reprehensible armed seizure of our private property,” stated Vulcan. However, it declined to comment on the legality of last week’s actions and the current controllers of the terminal. The company is also contesting the government’s decision from last year for shutting down its illegal operations.

More on the limestone mining issue

On Monday, Cemex defended its actions emphasizing the backing by a local court and the state prosecutors’ recent order. It also referred to its two-decade-old contract with Vulcan allowing it to use the terminal. However, Mexico’s security minister did not comment on the matter. Vulcan has been unable to quarry or ship construction materials since the government shut its operations in May 2022. The shutdown was following concerns about the harmful impact of limestone mining on the water table and local environment. Additionally, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called it an “ecological catastrophe”.