A significant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, impacting the coastline, appears to have originated from a vessel near the Abkatún platform between February 11 and 17, according to an analysis of satellite imagery. The incident has prompted calls for greater transparency and accountability from environmental organizations.
More than 30 environmental groups have pointed to the vessel as the source of the spill, which has now affected approximately 50 square kilometers (nearly 19.3 square miles) of ocean – an area larger than a thousand times the size of Mexico City’s central plaza, the Zócalo. Despite early containment efforts, those actions proved insufficient to prevent the spill’s expansion, the organizations stated.
Groups including Greenpeace, the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (Cemda), and TerraVida are demanding answers from federal authorities regarding the delayed activation of Mexico’s National Contingency Plan (PNC) for Hydrocarbon and Potentially Hazardous Substance Spills in Marine Zones. The plan, established in 2023, is designed to coordinate responses between federal agencies to control and mitigate marine pollution emergencies.
The organizations claim that three key components of the PNC were either not implemented or lacked transparency: immediate notification, technical assessment tools, and holding the polluter accountable. They detailed that authorities were not immediately notified, nor was the public informed through the designated Public Information Officer within the Incident Command System, despite containment actions beginning as early as February 13.
the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Agency for Safety, Energy and Environment (ASEA) have not released the Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (ABAN) and Sensitivity Maps required to coordinate an effective response. The groups argue that the absence of this data hinders evaluation of the containment efforts and whether they were technically adequate.
Adding to the concerns, more than a month has passed without identifying a responsible party. While the PNC operates on the principle of “the polluter pays,” authorities have yet to publicly name the company responsible or outline a process for compensating those affected by the environmental damage.
The organizations are also questioning why Level 3 of the PNC wasn’t activated sooner, given the spill’s magnitude. Level 3 is triggered when local and regional capabilities are exceeded, prompting the Secretary of the Navy to assume full coordination, mobilizing national and international resources to contain the emergency and protect the marine environment.
The groups initially raised concerns about hydrocarbon contamination and the insufficient response from authorities back in February.
Timeline of the Incident
According to the organizations’ analysis of satellite imagery, the incident began between February 6 and 10 with a vessel remaining in a zone near the Abkatún platform (Lat: 19.2740, Lon: -92.2362). Initial discharges of oil or crude were modest in quantity. The discharge intensified starting February 11, significantly increasing the spill’s volume. By February 13, the spill was visible, and at least five additional vessels were engaged in containment efforts off the coast of Campeche.
However, by February 14, the oil slick had spread to approximately 50 square kilometers. The spill remained active through at least February 17, and its spread was exacerbated by ocean currents and weather conditions, leading to its gradual and sustained arrival on the coasts of Tabasco and Veracruz over the following three weeks.
As of one month after the initial incident, the contaminant has spread across 680 kilometers of coastline, and traces of hydrocarbons continue to be found on various beaches in Veracruz and Tabasco.
