Mexican naval officials have attributed a recent petroleum contamination along the Gulf of Mexico coast to both a tanker-borne discharge and naturally occurring oil seepage from the seabed. Raymundo Morales, head of the Mexican navy, said satellite imagery revealed a slick off the coast and that authorities were examining a shortlist of 13 vessels that transited the area as potential sources of the discharge.
Morales said four of those vessels remain in Mexican waters and are being inspected by the navy. The remaining nine ships are located in international waters, and Mexico has requested international cooperation to carry out inspections on those vessels.
In addition to the maritime traffic under review, Morales reported that investigators identified two locations of natural submarine oil seepage that have contributed to petroleum products washing up on Mexican shores. He said one of the seabed sources is an active seepage site and is believed to be the largest contributor to the contamination. The other seepage site has been intermittent and is currently contained.
Morales cautioned that authorities must still determine whether the volume of natural seepage has increased or whether a structural failure on one of the offshore platforms might be responsible. "We need to assess what is happening, whether the natural seepage has increased or if there is a structural failure on one of the platforms," he said.
Working with Mexico’s state energy company Pemex, the navy is deploying marine barriers intended to limit further impact on wildlife and the region’s beaches. Pemex is also conducting underwater checks to rule out any structural failure of oil rigs, Morales added.
The contamination has affected marine life and left oil staining beaches in the southern Gulf states of Tabasco, Veracruz and Tamaulipas. Environment minister Alicia Barcena told reporters at a press conference that the environmental damage is not "severe."
Officials noted the incident occurred near in time to a separate event on March 17, when five people died outside Mexico’s Olmeca oil refinery after "oily waters" near the perimeter ignited. Authorities continue to investigate the current coastal contamination while coordinating inspections and containment measures.
Summary
The Mexican navy identified both a likely vessel discharge and natural seabed seepage as contributors to a petroleum contamination along the Gulf coast. Thirteen vessels that transited the area are under review, with four being inspected in Mexican waters and requests issued to international partners to inspect the remaining nine. Two submarine seep locations have been found; one is active and thought to be the primary source while the other is intermittent and currently contained. Pemex and the navy have deployed containment booms and are conducting underwater checks to determine whether platform structural failure played a role. The spill has affected marine life and tainted beaches in Tabasco, Veracruz and Tamaulipas, though the environment minister described the damage as not "severe." The event coincided with a separate refinery perimeter fire on March 17 that killed five people.