Gulf of Mexico oil spill spread hundreds of miles, killed wildlife and
polluted Mexican reserves
[March 27, 2026]
By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ
MEXICO CITY (AP) — An oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in early March
spread more than 600 kilometers (373 miles), including to seven nature
reserves, and originated from a vessel yet to be identified and two
“natural seepages,” Mexican authorities announced Thursday.
Authorities, however, ruled out the possibility of severe environmental
damage from the spill off coast of the eastern state of Veracruz.
The release of the preliminary findings came after weeks of controversy
surrounding the lack of transparency in the case.
Navy secretary, Admiral Raymundo Morales, said satellite image analysis
and inspections of the area identified three sources of the spill: a
vessel anchored off the coast of the port city of Coatzacoalcos, in the
eastern state of Veracruz; a geological site where crude oil naturally
seeps, known as a “chapopotera,” located 8 kilometers (5 miles) from
that port; and another natural seepage located in the Bay of Campeche.
Morales said at a press conference that the vessel has not yet been
identified because, as of early March, there were 13 ships sailing in
the area that had not yet been inspected.
He also admitted that the source of the spill “remains active,” and that
one of the main sources is estimated to be the “natural seeps in
Cantarell, in the Bay of Campeche.”
“These oil seeps have a constant, natural emission; however, there has
been a greater flow of contaminants in the last month,” he said.
Five months earlier, heavy rains and flooding caused a pipeline rupture
and a spill, also in Veracruz, that extended for 8 kilometers (5 miles)
along the Pantepec River.
In the March spill, Morales reported that the oil covered an area of
about 600 kilometers (373 miles) including 200 kilometers (125 miles) of
coastline in the southern states of Veracruz and Tabasco. To date, “430
tons of hydrocarbons” have been collected.
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Clumps of oil residue lie on the shore after fishing outings were
suspended because of an oil spill that Mexican authorities said
originated from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil seeps
along the Gulf coast in Salinas, Mexico, Thursday, March 26, 2026.
(AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Secretary of the Environment Alicia Bárcena reported that the spill
affected seven protected natural reserves in the states of Veracruz
and Tabasco, but insisted that “we have not detected severe
environmental damage.”
Environmental authorities have identified six species, including sea
turtles, birds and fish, that were contaminated by the spill.
The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) reported
Wednesday in a statement that hydrocarbons have been collected in
the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, the Veracruz Reef System National
Park, the Lechuguillas Sanctuary, the Totonacapan Beaches Sanctuary,
the Lobos Tuxpan Reef System Flora and Fauna Protection Area, and
south of the Rancho Nuevo Beach Sanctuary in the state of Veracruz.
Cleanup efforts were also carried out in the Centla Wetlands
Biosphere Reserve in the state of Tabasco.
The international organization Oceana, dedicated to ocean
conservation, said this week in a statement that, according to
reports from communities belonging to the Gulf of Mexico Reef
Corridor Network, the spill killed sea turtles, a manatee and
various fish species, and damaged 17 reefs.
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