The Mexican state oil company Pemex and Mexican authorities are making efforts to contain an offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, detected on Thursday about 85 kilometers north of Ciudad del Carmen, in the State of Campeche, in the eastern part of the country. A Pemex team identified the leak in a pipeline and is working to contain it, while the Mexican Navy is supporting the operations with four vessels, two aircraft and 255 military personnel mobilized for containment and recovery of hydrocarbons at sea.
The authorities estimate that the oil slick will move west over the next five days, with a reduced probability of reaching the coast or a sensitive area. The Permanent Observatory of the Gulf of Mexico, the government agency that reported the incident, did not specify the extent of the spill.
Oil spills from Pemex facilities are frequent in this region and sometimes cause fires or damage to local fishing communities. In February of this year, an oil spill affected about 600 kilometers of beaches in the region.
Pemex faces a deep crisis marked by declining production, lack of investment and a colossal debt, which has hindered the maintenance and modernization of its infrastructure.
