Progress in containing hydrocarbon spills
Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) reported this Friday substantial progress in environmental mitigation operations after the incident registered in the north of Veracruz. According to the last information cut at 6:00 p.m., the State productive company has achieved the recovery of 1.46 million liters of hydrocarbon, a volume equivalent to almost six Olympic swimming pools. This contamination event originated at kilometer 46+935 of the strategic Poza Rica-Madero 30-inch oil pipeline, located in the municipality of Álamo, an area of high ecological sensitivity.
The action protocol has been executed with a meticulous technical approach, prioritizing the containment and collection of the spilled fuel. The infrastructure deployed includes a system of 94 marine containment booms and 500 oleophilic cords, specialized devices designed to absorb and retain hydrocarbons in bodies of water. This physical barrier has been essential to prevent the dispersion of the contaminant to areas of greater environmental value.
Operational deployment and inter-institutional coordination
The magnitude of the operation has required the integration of a multidisciplinary team of 755 specialists, made up of personnel from Pemex, the Secretary of the Navy (Semar), the Security, Energy and Environment Agency (ASEA) and the Government of the State of Veracruz. The collection device has specialized technology, highlighting the participation of 2 recovery vessels, 7 river vessels, 4 self-contained breathing apparatus for work in hazardous atmospheres and 2 skimmer systems for the separation of hydrocarbon from the water surface.
Logistics capacity has been reinforced with the incorporation of 19 full-type transport units with an individual capacity of 60,000 liters, optimizing the collection and transfer chain of the recovered product. The work has been concentrated on six identified critical points: Punto Cero (Álamo), Puente Km 33, the mouth of the Pantepec River, Zanja del Bote and the Citlaltepetl stream.
Compensation to communities and restoration of services
In the social sphere, Pemex has implemented a support program for the population affected by the environmental contingency. So far, 6,813 food packages, 7,858 1-liter bottles of drinking water and 487 water storage tanks (tinacos) have been distributed. The company has reiterated its commitment to maintaining permanent dialogue with the inhabitants of the area and has recognized the collaboration of the community to expedite the cleaning tasks.
A significant operational achievement was the 100% restoration of the Intake of the Water Commission of the State of Veracruz (CAEV) in the town of El Xúchitl, municipality of Álamo Temapache. This action, carried out by the Pemex Logistics Department, guarantees the supply of water for the population and represents a milestone in the recovery of essential services after the incident.
The preliminary technical analysis indicates that the spill was generated as a result of the intense rainfall that affected the north of Veracruz two weeks ago, although the investigation to determine the exact causes is still ongoing. The Ministry of Energy, in charge of disseminating the progress of the remediation work, keeps under evaluation the calculation of the total volume of the spill, information that has not been officially quantified so far. Transparency in this data is crucial to measure the real environmental impact and the ecological compensation measures required.
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