Petróleos Mexicanos reported that it has contained the leak in an underwater pipeline detected on the morning of September 10, 46 nautical miles north of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, and that no impacts on personnel or beach areas have been reported. The spill was reported by the Observatorio Permanente del Golfo de México (Permanent Observatory of the Gulf of Mexico).
In a report released on the night of September 11, the company led by Juan Carlos Carpio Fragoso said it identified the leaking pipeline, depressurized it to contain the release, and is maintaining recovery work in the area, along with inspection and repair of the pipeline. Pemex added that it is coordinating with the Navy Ministry, the Energy Ministry, the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation, and the Agency for Safety, Energy and Environment. Between February and April of this year, another spill was reported at facilities of the Cantarell complex, in the Sonda de Campeche, according to the tally by El Universal. The leak occurs in the Sonda de Campeche, an area where oil and fishing activity overlap, which is why satellite monitoring and the drift of the slick are the data the region is tracking.
At 6:45 a.m., the Navy Ministry activated the Local Contingency Plan through the Regional Emergency Response and Management Group in Ciudad del Carmen, deploying the ARM Guanajuato ocean patrol vessel, four additional vessels, two aircraft and 255 naval personnel to support the containment and recovery of the hydrocarbon offshore. The Agency for Safety, Energy and Environment plans an overflight to document the actions. The Observatorio Permanente del Golfo de México, coordinated by Abigail Uribe, reported that it has issued four satellite observation reports, using synthetic aperture radar and multispectral imagery, and that three drift forecast models indicate a net westward movement of the slick over the next five days. Neither the oil company nor environmental authorities specified the volume spilled or the size of the slick.
The available models indicate that it is highly unlikely the slick will reach the coast or any sensitive area during that period. Monitoring will continue for up to 10 days, a window in which the arrival of a cold front could change the trajectory.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.