The presence of an oil slick in Manzanillo Bay mobilized maritime, port, and environmental authorities, as well as Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) , who are conducting an investigation to determine the origin of the hydrocarbon detected on June 2nd in the vicinity of the tourist pier and the Maritime Terminal of the state-owned company.
According to the Mexican Navy (Semar) , the contingency resulted in the activation of the Local Contingency Plan for Spills of Hydrocarbons and Potentially Hazardous Noxious Substances in Mexican Marine Zones, after the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo reported the presence of the contaminant in waters near the city’s historic center.
The first inspections carried out by specialized personnel made it possible to identify “scattered patches of surface iridescence in the water” , which were concentrated around the perimeter barriers of the Pemex Maritime Terminal, a situation that triggered the application of response protocols to contain a possible environmental impact.
As part of the emergency response, the Mexican Navy (Semar) deployed a joint operation with the Pacific Naval Force, the Fourteenth Naval Zone, and ASIPONA Manzanillo to carry out cleanup efforts and determine whether the presence of the hydrocarbon was due to an isolated incident or a continuous source of contamination. The response included the deployment of 200 meters of containment booms from the Mexican Navy ship “Comala,” with support from a tugboat, two Defender-class vessels from the Naval Search, Rescue, and Maritime Surveillance Station (ENSAR), and a Go-Fast vessel.
These efforts were complemented by the installation of an additional 270 meters of barriers as structural support for the containment work, along with another 450 meters placed at the Pemex Maritime Terminal. Naval authorities stated that the cleanup and recovery of the hydrocarbons continues, with the goal of preventing or mitigating damage to the marine ecosystem.
As containment efforts in the water progressed, Pemex reported that it is maintaining inter-institutional coordination to help identify the source of the oil spill. The company stated that personnel from the Federal Maritime Guard, Asipona Manzanillo, the Mexican Navy, and Pemex itself conducted verification tours of docks, beach pipelines, and facilities at the maritime terminal.
As a result of the inspections carried out on June 2 and 3, Pemex assured that “the facilities are operating under normal conditions and without evidence of damage or incidents associated with the event,” ruling out so far any indications that directly link the contingency to a visible failure in its infrastructure.
The company also reported that it is maintaining constant coordination with the Mexican Navy, Asipona Manzanillo, and other relevant authorities to monitor the investigations . It also announced a new pipeline inspection with the participation of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) , the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) , Asipona, and Civil Protection, as part of the efforts to determine the origin of the hydrocarbon.
In its statement, Pemex reiterated “its commitment to protecting the environment, the safety of its operations, and the timely attention to any situation that could represent a risk to the communities and ecosystems where it carries out its activities,” while the investigations continue.
For its part, the Mexican Navy emphasized that the central purpose of activating the contingency plan is “to establish actions for the containment and recovery of the oil spill in the sea in the shortest possible time to prevent or mitigate damage and pollution to the marine environment.” In this regard, the agency reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the marine environment and ensuring the safety of port activities, in a situation that keeps authorities under close observation while the origin of the substance that reached the waters of Manzanillo Bay is determined.
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