Fishermen affected by the Pemex spill in Tabasco: "Authorities turn a blind eye."

VILLAHERMOSA, Tab. ( Proceso ).- Two weeks have passed since an oil spill from a pipeline that transports oil to the Dos Bocas terminal, where the Olmeca refinery is located, but the damage on the coast of Paraíso, Tabasco, has not been remedied by Pemex, according to complaints from fishermen in the area who have seen their source of income paralyzed.

On Saturday night, May 3, a pipeline ruptured on the Akal-C platform leading to the Tabasco petrochemical plant, which has not yet fully resumed operations.

Local authorities estimated that the spill reached approximately 17 kilometers of coastline and reached the Mecoacán Lagoon, a Protected Natural Area, as well as mangrove banks.

Pemex remained silent about the incident for several days. But on May 8, at President Claudia Sheinbaum's press conference, a reporter asked about it, and she responded:

"It's a pipeline from a platform to Dos Bocas. It's a pipeline that's many years old, dating back to the 1970s, and it's currently being repaired. It had some leaks; as soon as the leak was detected, a shield and a clamp were put in place to reduce it. There was another leak, and another clamp was put in place, and they're in the process of cleaning it up. They estimate it involved around 300 barrels. Local fishermen have been seen and are being addressed."

The president slipped in a comment: "Let's see if they can issue the statement today," which Pemex didn't publish until the following day, May 9.

Sheinbaum was also asked about the support the fishermen affected might need in their work. "If necessary, yes," she replied.

But sea workers claim they are not receiving any help from the government, even though nearly 15 days have passed since the accident that affected the state's coastline.

Although the state government reportedly reported the incident to the Agency for Safety, Energy, and Environment (ASEA), no authority has reported the assessed environmental impact to date.

Frequent spills

Yuri Alamilla, environmental advisor for the Paraíso city council, stated that, according to Pemex, 300 barrels of hydrocarbons spilled on the Tabasco coast.

Seventy percent of that volume, he said, evaporates within 48-72 hours, and the remainder is the heavy fraction that floats and washes up on the coast.

The heavy fraction remains in the water. Alamilla noted that this fraction would harm someone "if they ingested it intentionally."

He added that the fish "avoid these stains," although they would affect the oyster crop because they would obscure it.

For the official, the problem of tar spills is "a tourist image," since anyone who uses a beach with this problem "comes out of the water stained."

He asserts that the impact on the ecosystem is minor, and that hydrocarbons frequently enter the seawater, as Pemex has between 30 and 40 oil spills in this region of the Gulf.

Miguel Ángel Carrillo, a permit holder for the Jarochoco group in Paraíso, says the spill was significant, "like nothing I've ever seen before."

He claims that although Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) dumped a chemical into the water to neutralize (encapsulate) the tar, the contamination has not been completely eliminated.

The most affected, he says, were fishing gear, such as nets, but boats and launches also suffered from the oil spill.

Fishing has collapsed, he notes, because seafood has been transported away due to pollution.

He points out that the fishermen want dialogue with Pemex and the state government, but it hasn't happened; "both entities turn a blind eye."

There are at least 500 workers in the area who depend on the sea, and the problem is exacerbated because their leaders do not support them.

Asunción Medina Cruz, from the Puerto Ceiba cooperative, agrees that Pemex has not taken seafarers into account.

"We've been stuck fishing for almost 15 days, because our nets and boats are full of tar," he complains. "At this point in the spill, we can say that dialogue with Pemex has broken down, and there's no sign of a resolution to the problem," he says.

Medina says that the local fishermen "are a huge number"; more than 3,000 fishermen, or "many families who make a living from fishing," as there are at least 1,200 boats registered, and three men work on each one.

Medina Cruz explains that it's been almost 15 days since work began, and there's no sign of Pemex or the state government taking a census of "those of us who were affected."

He comments that based on their offshore journeys, it has been determined that approximately 11 kilometers were directly affected, although the impact reached 22 km.

In its May 9 statement, Pemex reported that it "attended to the leaks in the pipeline that transports oil from the Akal-C Platform to the Dos Bocas Maritime Terminal (TMDB), which were contained by installing two metal clamps, and the work was completed on May 6."

In this way, he said, "controlled operation of the pipeline began, monitoring the tightness of the repair, and so far no traces of oil have been found in the completed repairs."

Although Pemex reported that seven kilometers were impacted by hydrocarbons on the coast of the municipality of Paraíso.

"Containment measures are continuing with the support of vessels and the installation of barriers in the Mecoacán Lagoon and near the Dos Bocas Maritime Terminal to prevent any additional arrivals on the coast," the state-owned company added.

“Free” fishermen, without solution

Yuri Alamilla asserted that Pemex's Social Responsibility Department has been addressing the problem since the day the oil leak occurred.

Official information indicates that 15 beaches (resorts or tourist centers) were affected by the contamination, but of these, only six have federal government concessions.

The advisor noted that in the case of the fishermen who claim to be affected, they have not filed their complaints with the production company.

He says the situation is now developing so that "everyone feels affected" and that, as a matter of procedure, only cooperative members and permit holders will be served.

The independent fishermen, he emphasizes, cannot prove they were affected, since in this case Pemex's support only extends to cooperatives and permit holders, as these are established fishermen with their federal government permits in order.

The official, who is responsible for the municipality's response to the contamination caused by the recent spill, notes that there are ongoing discussions with Pemex to address the issue, but no one has formally requested payment for damages.

In this case, he comments, the ones who can handle their claims are the concessionaires, since they have permits to work at sea.

The official indicates that Pemex tells those who complain: "Prove to me that you lost your business," and at that point the solution becomes blocked, since, for example, free fishermen cannot prove their production or their losses.

Alamilla also noted:

"Right now, all the fishermen have gone to sea and are already working. The nets were certainly affected, although we must also consider that unlicensed fishermen are using unauthorized nets."