Mexico Deploys 150 Navy Personnel to Combat Sargassum in Quintana Roo

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The Mexican Navy is deploying 150 additional personnel and a new, larger vessel to intensify sargassum cleanup efforts along the state’s coastline, officials announced Monday.

Environment Secretary Óscar Rébora Aguilera said the reinforcements will focus on Playa del Carmen, the municipality that has seen the heaviest accumulation of the seaweed in recent weeks. The goal is to mitigate environmental damage and preserve the beaches’ appeal for international tourism.

The new vessel, which replaces the current ship Natans, is twice as large and has triple the storage capacity, allowing it to collect up to 600 metric tons of sargassum per day — compared to the 250-ton capacity of its predecessor.

Authorities are also installing more than 15,000 meters (about 9.3 miles) of sargassum barriers along the coast. An additional 400 meters of barriers will be placed in Cancún after a technical analysis of ocean currents.

Despite atypical seaweed arrivals this year, monitoring reports indicate that between 38 and 41 beaches remain in optimal condition, classified under green or blue alert levels. So far in 2026, nearly 30,000 metric tons of sargassum have been collected. Officials have also acquired 7,500 meters of new barriers to replace sections damaged by saltwater.

Rébora Aguilera emphasized that the measures result from close coordination between the state governor, municipal presidents, and federal forces to protect both the ecosystem and the local economy.