No Cruise Pier for Puerto Morelos, APIQROO Says

PUERTO MORELOS, Quintana Roo — The Integral Port Administration of Quintana Roo (APIQROO) has stated that there are no permits for, nor any plans to construct, a cruise ship pier in the Punta Brava area of Puerto Morelos. The announcement comes amid citizen mobilization against what was mistakenly believed to be a new cruise terminal project.

According to APIQROO, should any project advance, it would be exclusively for a cargo pier, linked to the needs of the Tren Maya, and not for cruise ships.

Citizen opposition, organized through social media and WhatsApp groups, has activated a signature collection drive to block the perceived project. The concern is based on the belief that the plan involves relocating a cruise ship pier originally intended for Cozumel. APIQROO clarifies that the discussed project is for a deep-water cargo port to service the northern zone of Quintana Roo.

The refusal from environmental groups and citizens from Puerto Morelos and Cancún is grounded in the fact that Punta Brava holds official environmental protection. The area is classified as an Environmental Management Unit M-2 under a conservation policy within the Ecological Territorial Zoning Program (POET) for the Cancún-Tulum corridor.

Under this premise, the land surrounding Punta Brava is governed by land use criteria requiring conservation, making any project that implies ecosystem deterioration inadmissible. Opponents also cite the area's role as a habitat for species protected under NOM-059.

Vagner Elbiorn Vega, Director of APIQROO, provided context, noting that Puerto Morelos currently has a shallow-draft pier, which prevents the arrival of larger vessels. The area currently depends on the port of Progreso, Yucatán, for the arrival of many ships carrying merchandise.

Vega stated that pre-feasibility studies have been conducted to analyze the possibility of utilizing the only body of water in the Punta Brava zone. He emphasized that this does not mean the project will be executed immediately.

"This would not be a cruise terminal," Vega said, "but a deep-water port for large-draft vessels to serve the economic life of the zone."

He further explained that such a project would be aligned with the evolution of the Tren Maya, which contemplates the future addition of a freight train. A cargo pier would strengthen this development. The process, once the pre-feasibility study is concluded, would involve visits from corresponding authorities and requests for permits for feasibility and legal studies pertaining to the potential project zones.