Cancun, Q.R. — Náuticos de Cancún has met with the Port Captaincy of Puerto Juárez regarding an El Meco Reef concession. The concession granted by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation and the Coordination of Port Captaincies to Náuticos de Cancún.
Francisco Fernández Millán, President of the Quintana Roo Nautical Association, said this is the first time that the permit for the operation of buoys has been authorized in order to regulate all the activity that is generated in El Meco.
He said based on the concession granted, Náuticos is notifying authorities and agencies of the system that will be carried out in order to regulate the entire operation that is generated there and thereby, avoid the ongoing boat piracy in the area.
This process, he said, occurs after more than three years of paperwork, studies and analysis. The concession, as well as the permit for the Environmental Impact Statement that had been granted to the Cancun Underwater Museum, which had protected the underwater galleries, now passes into the hands of the Association for its maintenance and environmental protection.
Fernández Millán said the first step will be to carry out regulation of all the vessels that arrive at the El Meco Reef since private vessels offering illegal tourist services have been a reported problem for a long time.
With the control of the buoy, he says the permit will be verified by the Port Captaincy who may grant consent with a prior letter from the same association to be able to operate, which will allow better protection of this ecosystem.
He says it has been estimated that approximately 30 percent of the vessels operation at El Meco are without the corresponding permits which puts the tourist and the ecosystem at risk.
Fernández says before, nothing could be done because the buoys belonged to the nation, but now with the concession, they will be able to have better control. He says on busy days during high season, the area can see as many as 500 boats in a day, so regulation around its entire operation was urgently needed.
The Nautical Association already has two supervision boats in the area with two inspectors and two Red Cross paramedics in support of the activities that are registered there and which will now have better control. The recently granted concession to Náuticos de Cancún will be valid for 10 years.