Mexico Opens Criminal Investigation Into Gulf Oil Spill Affecting 630 Kilometers of Coastline

Mexico City — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday that federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into a recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that has affected more than 630 kilometers of coastline in Veracruz and Tabasco states.

“There is now a criminal offense in this case,” Sheinbaum said during her daily morning press conference, referring to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office investigation into the spill that environmental groups say began in early March.

The president emphasized that the spill originated from a private vessel, not from the state oil company Pemex, though Pemex personnel are assisting with cleanup efforts. She instructed Pemex Director General Víctor Rodríguez Padilla to personally visit the affected area to assess the situation and determine if additional resources are needed.

“There was a spill from a ship, investigations are underway, and we asked the Prosecutor’s Office to intervene,” Sheinbaum said. “It is not a Pemex spill, but Pemex is doing everything to clean the ocean and beaches.”

She stressed that the company responsible for the vessel that caused the spill must compensate for environmental damages, with both administrative penalties through environmental agencies and potential criminal charges through the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.

The Mexican government reported that cleanup operations have reached 88% completion, with 94.7 tons of waste collected so far. Multiple agencies including the Environment Ministry, Mexican Navy, National Civil Protection Coordination, and environmental protection agencies are coordinating with state and municipal authorities and local communities.

Cleanup efforts have focused on several locations in Veracruz:

• Playa Jicacal: Four work fronts with 25 people each
• Playa Linda: Two fronts with 20 people each
• Playa Barrillas: Two fronts with 20 people each
• Laguna del Ostión: One front with 10 people

All teams operate under technical supervision. On March 18, crews collected 80 kilograms of hydrocarbon residue along two kilometers of coastline at Mata de Uva and El Zapote beaches in Alvarado municipality.

The Mexican Navy activated the National Contingency Plan on March 14 to supervise cleanup and monitoring operations. By March 16, officials reported completing containment and cleanup in the marine area where the hydrocarbon plume was initially detected, with no remaining residue currently present in that zone.

In Tabasco, cleanup operations on land will resume once weather conditions improve following heavy rains from cold front number 41 that began on March 17.

Federal authorities continue reinforcement of verification patrols, satellite monitoring, marine current analysis, and field tracking to identify the possible source of the contamination. Once investigators determine the origin of the hydrocarbons, they will proceed according to environmental legislation to establish responsibility and ensure environmental damage repair.