Mexico City, Mexico — President Claudia Sheinbaum has ordered an investigation into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The investigation was ordered and three top officials suspended after evidence of a Pemex spill in the Abkatun-Cantarell area in February.
In a statement, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) said at the instruction of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, a thorough investigation has been launched to clarify the origin of the hydrocarbon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
During the investigation, three public servants have been removed from their duties. The three suspended Pemex employees have been identified only by their positions. The Deputy Director of Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Protection, the Marine Control Coordinator and the Spill and Waste Leader.
“This is part of a firm commitment to transparency, accountability, and environmental protection since they may be connected to the leak,” Pemex said in a statement.
The Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, stated that from the outset, a coordinated, technical and scientifically based response was activated to address the emergency.
It contained a force of 3,365 personnel, 25 ships and vessels, 48 vehicles, nine aircraft, aerial and underwater drones, as well as 5,100 meters of installed containment barriers.
This deployment has allowed for continuous surveillance in the Bay of Campeche, as well as maritime and aerial patrols along the Gulf of Mexico coastline, including monitoring in its northern zone, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the phenomenon.
He added that to date, 48 beaches have been serviced, covering 630 kilometers of coastline on a recurring basis, resulting in the collection of approximately 915 tons of waste composed of hydrocarbons mixed with sand, driftwood, and sargassum.
To ensure the collection and proper disposal of the hydrocarbon-impregnated solids, Pemex operates a collection and transportation program to take these materials to treatment plants authorized by ASEA (the National Agency for Industrial Safety and Environmental Protection of the Hydrocarbons Sector).
At these plants, the waste undergoes a treatment called thermal desorption which can eliminate up to 95-98 percent of hydrocarbons and organic contaminants.
Regarding environmental matters, the Undersecretary of Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration, Marina Robles García, stated that sector institutions have conducted over 1,021 surveys in 173 locations across Campeche, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Tamaulipas, with a focus on mangroves, coastal lagoons, nine Natural Protected Areas, Ramsar sites, turtle nesting camps and reef ecosystems.
Some of these surveys were carried out in conjunction with communities and civil organizations that have reported the presence of hydrocarbons. Sampling has also been conducted on beaches, in sediments, seagrass beds and coral reefs to comprehensively assess the effects of the event and guide restoration efforts.
The Gulf of Mexico is home to approximately 11,310 species of flora and fauna. No mass die-offs of any species were observed during the monitoring and cleanup surveys on beaches and in reef areas.
In the social sphere, Energy Secretary Luz Elena González mentioned that direct support has been maintained for communities and the fishing sector. Through the Community and Environment Support Program, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) will allocate 30 million pesos to support fishing cooperatives in Veracruz.
Additionally, 3,379 fishermen have received 15,000 pesos in aid through the Bienpesca program along with community medical care, fuel supplies and support for tools, equipment and productive projects.
He added that during the Easter holiday period, the beaches remained in suitable condition for visiting without significant impacts on tourist traffic, registering a hotel occupancy rate of close to 80 percent.
Regarding the origin of the hydrocarbon, the Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation, Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez, indicated that the inter-institutional scientific group, with the support of specialists from research centers and universities, analyzed more than 70 satellite images, overflight data, and drift models.
The results point to evidence of a spill that occurred in February in the Abkatun-Cantarell area, the material from which was subsequently dispersed and weathered by marine dynamics.
Pemex reported that it requested satellite images of ship movements from the operations department, revealing irregularities that had not been previously reported.
Based on the analysis of the logs and the cross-referencing of information that uncovered these findings, CEO Víctor Rodríguez Padilla filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office and the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance.
Among the irregularities detected were:
A loss of mechanical integrity and the repair of an oil pipeline whose activities were not reported to the General Director or the senior management of the State Public Company.
A hydrocarbon leak at Pemex facilities, which had been systematically denied by operational areas, especially in March when oil spills began arriving on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico.
The coincidence between the site where the loss of integrity of the oil pipeline was detected and the site located by scientists as the origin of the oil trail observed in the satellite images.
The concealment of recovered oily water in the containment barriers, of at least 350 m3.
The contradiction between a simple “tearing” and the large deployment of 11 ships in total that were used to contain, recover and disperse the hydrocarbons that escaped from the pipeline.
The decision not to completely shut off the flow in order to limit the duration and magnitude of the spill. The main valve was closed on February 14, eight days after the leak was detected.
The request from the Subdirectorate of Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Protection to the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE), to numerically simulate the dispersion of the spilled hydrocarbons and their arrival on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Request issued on February 6.
Therefore, based on these facts and while the corresponding investigations are carried out, the following were removed from their positions: the deputy director of safety, occupational health and environmental protection, the coordinator of marine control, spills and waste and the leader of spills and waste at Pemex.
In parallel, the Agency for Safety, Energy and Environment (ASEA) and Petróleos Mexicanos have carried out corresponding inspections and filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office to determine responsibilities arising from this event.
Authorities say actions will continue until the total recovery of the coastal and marine environment is guaranteed.
On March 2, 2026 Pemex released an official statement that they had ruled out “any leak or oil spill on the beaches of southern Veracruz, after having carried out technical inspections at its facilities,” as a source of the Gulf of Mexico leak.
