Sargassum Has Not Disrupted Cruise Arrivals in Quintana Roo, Port Official Says

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — The massive arrival of sargassum along Quintana Roo’s coastline has not affected navigation or cruise ship arrivals at the state’s main ports, according to port authorities. Deep-water port infrastructure in Cozumel and Mahahual is operating normally, and cruise passenger numbers have actually increased.

Vagner Elbiorn Vega, director of the Integral Port Administration of Quintana Roo (APIQROO), said the accumulation of the aquatic plant has not reached the docks, leaving no impediment for ships to dock. “There was no impact from the sargassum issue on cruise arrivals,” he said. “On the contrary, we have positive numbers, with cruise passenger percentages up 12% compared to last year and an 8% increase in ship arrivals. In Cozumel, we don’t have the sargassum problem like Cancún due to the location and currents, so there’s no problem for cruise ships to keep arriving, and that is reflected in the increase in dockings.”

Port figures show that so far this year, more than 3.079 million passengers have arrived aboard 835 cruise ships operated by Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, and other lines that include Mexican Caribbean ports in their itineraries. The vessels are gradually being replaced by larger-capacity ships.

Elbiorn Vega added that APIQROO has collected 400 million pesos during the current administration, a surplus of 36% over the 220 million pesos received annually when the administration began. He projected that revenue could reach 600 million pesos by the final year. “We have very good numbers,” he said. “Since we started, I’ve had a 36% surplus. APIQROO’s revenue is now above 400 million, and at this rate, I expect to reach 50% more in the last year.”

All collected funds are allocated to maintenance work, conservation of concrete structures, improvements, payroll, and infrastructure expansion. They also fund paving of terminal parking lots at key points such as Puerto Morelos, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Chetumal, Punta Sam, and Mahahual, in addition to new video surveillance systems and operational reorganization at the fishermen’s pier and federally concessioned areas.