President Claudia Sheinbaum affirmed that there is no evidence of an incident at the Cantarell complex and suggested that the contamination could be related to natural seepages. "There is still in the Gulf what we call natural oil seeps where oil is seeping," the head of state noted.
According to Pemex data, since March 2nd, more than 825 tons of contaminating material have been collected on the Gulf coasts, without the source of the hydrocarbon having been conclusively determined. If one ton of crude is equivalent to approximately 7.3 barrels and each barrel contains about 159 liters, the magnitude of the spill would be comparable to filling about 30 fuel tankers with hydrocarbons.
The case has generated uncertainty among fishing communities in the region, which have reported impacts on their activities, while authorities and companies maintain divergent positions on the origin of the incident.
Eni México, which has been present in the country since 2006 and carries out exploration and production activities since 2015, has invested around 5 billion dollars and reached a production close to 90 thousand barrels per day by the end of last year. Its main asset in Mexico is the CNH-R01-L02-A1/2015 contract, located in shallow waters off Tabasco and Campeche, where it operates the floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) MIAMTE MV34.
The Italian oil company Eni México rejected its involvement in the alleged hydrocarbon spill on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, in a context of conflicting versions about the origin of the contamination that has affected areas of Veracruz and Tabasco. The company assured in a letter sent to El Financiero that its internal reviews and continuous monitoring of its assets have not detected leaks associated with its operations, following the statements by Joaquín Madrigal, president of the Federation of Fishing Cooperatives 'El Faro'.
"The information disseminated is incorrect and does not reflect the reality of the situation," the company stated, emphasizing that all its facilities operate under safe conditions and in compliance with current environmental regulations.
Eni's stance comes while the federal government has also so far ruled out a leak at Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) facilities. This facility processes, stores, and transfers crude from the Amoca, Miztón, and Tecoalli fields.
The Inter-institutional Group in charge of attending to the contingency, led by the Ministry of Energy (SENER) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), warned that sanctions for environmental damage can reach up to nine years in prison, in addition to fines and the obligation to repair the damage. These authorities affirmed that, to date, of the 13 vessels that were in the area at the beginning of the event, seven have already been inspected and the rest remain under international monitoring to clarify their possible participation.
