Major Gulf Oil Spill Spreads 373 Miles, Contaminates Mexican Wildlife Reserves

A massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico this past March contaminated over 370 miles of ocean and coastline, impacting seven nature reserves in Mexico. Mexican officials say the pollution came from an unidentified vessel and natural oil seeps, killing sea turtles, fish, and other marine life.

MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials revealed Thursday that a major oil contamination event in the Gulf of Mexico during early March extended across more than 373 miles of ocean, reaching seven protected wildlife areas and stemming from both an unknown ship and two natural oil seepage sites.

Despite the massive scope, government representatives maintained that the incident off Veracruz state’s coastline did not cause catastrophic environmental harm.

The disclosure of these initial investigation results follows several weeks of public criticism over the government’s lack of openness regarding the incident.

Navy Secretary Admiral Raymundo Morales explained that satellite imagery and field investigations pinpointed three contamination sources: an anchored ship near Coatzacoalcos port in Veracruz state, a natural oil seepage formation called a “chapopotera” located five miles from that port, and another geological seepage point in Campeche Bay.

During a news briefing, Morales acknowledged that investigators have yet to determine which vessel caused the pollution because 13 ships were operating in the region during early March and inspections remain incomplete.

The admiral also confirmed that contamination “continues to occur” and identified the primary source as “natural seepage points in Cantarell, located in Campeche Bay.”

“While these geological oil releases happen continuously in nature, we’ve observed increased contamination levels over the past month,” Morales stated.

This incident occurred five months after severe weather and flooding damaged a pipeline in Veracruz, creating an oil spill that contaminated five miles of the Pantepec River.

According to Morales, the March contamination affected approximately 373 miles of ocean area, including 125 miles of shoreline across Veracruz and Tabasco states. Cleanup crews have recovered “430 tons of petroleum products” to date.

Environment Secretary Alicia Bárcena confirmed that the spill reached seven protected nature reserves in both states but emphasized that “severe environmental destruction has not been observed.”

Wildlife officials documented contamination in six species, including marine turtles, various bird species, and fish populations.

The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) announced Wednesday that petroleum cleanup operations occurred at Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz Reef System National Park, Lechuguillas Sanctuary, Totonacapan Beaches Sanctuary, Lobos Tuxpan Reef System Flora and Fauna Protection Area, and areas south of Rancho Nuevo Beach Sanctuary in Veracruz. Additional cleanup work took place at Centla Wetlands Biosphere Reserve in Tabasco.

Ocean conservation group Oceana reported this week that local communities within the Gulf of Mexico Reef Corridor Network documented deaths of sea turtles, a manatee, and multiple fish species, along with damage to 17 coral reef systems.