US firm says Mexican authorities illegally seized its port terminal

21/3/2023 11:10

        U.S. construction materials firm Vulcan Materials Co said on Monday that Mexican security forces illegally took possession last week of its port terminal in southern Mexico, as an extended legal battle over its nearby limestone mining activities plays out.
        
        The incident took place last Tuesday night at the terminal in the popular tourist hub of Playa del Carmen, and follows a five-year fight with the government over Vulcan's concessions punctuated by sharp criticism from the country's president last year.
        
        Vulcan, which markets crushed stone as well as asphalt and ready-mixed concrete, said in a statement on Sunday that workers from Mexican cement company Cemex accompanied the security forces last week as part of the takeover of their port terminal.
        
        "We are shocked in Cemex and in the Mexican government entities that supported this reckless and reprehensible armed seizure of our private property," Vulcan said in the statement.
        
        Vulcan declined to say how last week's action was illegal or who currently controls the terminal.