Port of Manzanillo, Colima — An abandoned navy ship earmarked for refurbishment for sargassum monitoring and collection along the Quintana Roo coast has been released by authorities.
The ship Kelsol, has officially been donated by el Instituto de Administración de Bienes y Activos, which means it can now be refurbished and used by the Government of Mexico for sargassum seaweed purposes. The ship, which has been in the possession of la Secretaría de Marina, has now been legally donated to la Secretaría de la Marina (Semar).
During the protocol event of the formalization of the donation and physical contract delivery of the ship, the General Director of the Institute of Asset and Management, Ricardo Rodríguez Vargas said that with the donation of the vessel, Semar will have the best tools to continue addressing the issue of sargassum.
“We hope that this ship will be transported soon to the Caribbean coast and will begin to be used for the benefit of the environment.”
The vessel, which is of foreign origin, was abandoned along the coast of Ensenada, Baja California and required the General Administration of Customs of the Tax Administration Service (SAT) to begin the process of declaring it abandoned.
The steel hull vessel, which is 43.83 meters in length, was moved to the dock of the Sixth Naval Region in the Port of Manzanillo where navy personnel will work on its refurbishment. Once complete, Kelsol will be relocated to the coastal waters along Quintana Roo where it will be used for at-sea sargassum collection for the next four years.
