Cancún to Remove Nine Abandoned Boats From Nichupté Lagoon

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A second round of cleanup work will pull nine abandoned and sunken boats out of the Nichupté lagoon in Cancún on Nov. 27 and 28, the head of the region’s nautical business association said.

Francisco Fernández Millán, president of Asociados Náuticos de Quintana Roo (ANQ), said the first phase of the operation removed 14 vessels. The boats targeted in this second stage are larger, measuring between seven and 15 meters (roughly 23 to 49 feet) in length.

City, port and park officials join the effort

The operation will have support from the Benito Juárez municipal government, the local port authority (Capitanía de Puerto) and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp).

The work is voluntary and has no dedicated budget, Fernández Millán said, although he estimated that clearing all of the vessels would cost about 2 million pesos.

On Nov. 27, crews will tow the nine boats to the Sigfrido canal, a spot chosen because it has little wave action and no strong currents, allowing the vessels to be held safely overnight before removal work continues the next day.

Sigfrido canal closed to navigation

To prevent accidents on the water, the canal will be closed to all vessel traffic on Nov. 28. Authorities will enforce the restriction with a special buoy line, which officials said will also let crews work more safely.

Specialized personnel will use cranes to lift the boats out of the water that day. The municipal government will take advantage of the temporary closure to carry out cleaning work in the canal.

Fernández Millán said the goal is to clear derelict and sunken boats from the lagoon area and improve safety conditions there.