Mexico Inspects Seven Tankers, Pipelines as Part of its Investigation into Source of Gulf Oil Spill
Mexican government officials on Monday said they had completed inspections of seven of 13 offshore vessels as they continue to search for the source of a large oil spill in the western Gulf of Mexico earlier this month.
The government also said it has requested help from international maritime agencies to conduct inspections of the six remaining vessels that have left Mexican waters.
State-owned oil company Pemex, the Navy Ministry and environmental agencies last week said an oil spill in the waters near the coasts of Coatzacoalcos and Campeche originated from an unidentified vessel and from two natural seeps from the Cantarell offshore production field.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said Pemex wasn’t responsible for the spill and suggested that a private vessel may be the source.
Government officials on Monday said one of the seeps near Coatzacoalcos resumed leaking crude, but added the spill was quickly contained. As part of the investigation, officials also conducted inspections of pipelines connected to the Akal C and Akal H complexes to verify their mechanical integrity and to determine whether they played any role in the leak. Results will be released once the review is completed, they added.
“So far, no leaks have been reported and if any are detected, they will be repaired,” Sheinbaum said during her Tuesday morning press briefing.
She added that Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena was visiting Veracruz on Tuesday and is expected to present her findings on Wednesday.
The government also confirmed that environmental regulator ASEA filed a criminal complaint Friday for environmental damages against any vessel that may have contributed to the spill.
Penalties could include one to nine years in prison, as well as fines and compensation for the damage to the environment.
Officials said that as of Monday they had recovered 785 metric tons of oil-contaminated waste along roughly 400 miles of Mexican coastline, in addition to more than 40 metric tons recovered at sea.
More than 3,000 personnel from the Navy, Pemex and federal and local authorities are participating in cleanup efforts, according to the statement.
The states of Tabasco, Veracruz and Tamaulipas have been most affected by the spill.
Reporting by José Luis Adriano, jadriano@opisnet.com; Editing by Karla Omaña, komana@opisnet.com; and Jeffrey Barber, jbarber@opisnet.com