While a worker's strike was averted at the Volkswagen plant in Mexico, a strike of another sort - the landfall of Hurricane Dean - may impact the port of Veracruz, about 186 miles from the VW plant, and the main automobile shipping and receiving site in Mexico.

As of this writing (Monday, August 21), the U. S. National Hurricane Center is reporting that Dean may reach Category 5 strength by the time it reaches Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula either late tonight or early tomorrow.

A spokesman at the administrative office for the Port of Veracruz said that he thinks the hurricane's path will take it just to the right of them, but even so, authorities closed the port to all shipping 500 tons and under this morning at 8:00 AM local time.

In a story reported by AutoNews, Anibal Perez, manager of the Veracruz-based shipping agency Meritus de Mexico said, "We hope nothing happens here, but there are all sorts of contingency plans." Meritus transports between 10,000 and 15,000 cars per month from this port.

Aside from Volkswagen, Chrysler, Ford, BMW, and General Motors, among others, all ship to and from Mexico, through the Port of Veracruz.

The last hurricane to sweep through the port at the intensity Dean is likely to have, was Hurricane Wilma, in 2005. It killed seven people, and caused more than $2.5 billion in damages.