Mexico’s Environment Ministry Cancels Cozumel Fourth Cruise Pier Project

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Ministry has definitively canceled the Fourth Cruise Pier project in Cozumel, ordering the permanent closure of the project file after a comprehensive environmental review.

The ministry denied authorization for the “Muelle Cozumel, Terminal de Cruceros” project, commonly known as the Fourth Pier, following a thorough re-evaluation of the Environmental Impact Statement submitted by project developers.

Óscar Eduardo Ramírez, director general of Environmental Impact and Risk, announced that the ministry fully complied with an order to invalidate a December 2021 document that had conditionally approved the project. “We re-evaluated the Environmental Impact Statement based on the complete file information and technical recommendations,” the official said.

Federal authorities considered elements previously omitted from the original evaluation, including recommendations from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, the existence of a marine flora and fauna refuge on Cozumel’s western coast, and applicable marine conservation regulations.

The Mexican Center for Environmental Law stated that the denial represents an unusual precedent in Mexico’s Environmental Impact Assessment history, demonstrating that legal mechanisms can function when technical arguments, legal reasoning, and active citizen participation combine.

The organization claims this decision reaffirms the obligation to protect highly sensitive ecosystems like Cozumel’s reefs and marine biodiversity, ensuring large-scale projects undergo evaluation with strict adherence to legality, prevention, and environmental precaution principles. Activists noted that local communities played a significant role in environmental defense and pressuring authorities to correct previous decisions.

According to the environmental defense group, this case should mark a turning point in authorization procedures for coastal and tourism projects in Mexico to prevent negative impacts on vulnerable ecosystems.