90-Day Deadline Given to Remove Fuel from Cracked Bulker off Mexico

The owner of the stranded Mexican bulk carrier Los Llanitos has 90 days to complete the fuel removal operations from the vessel, Mexico’s environmental agency Profepa said.

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The removal will include an estimated transfer of 425,000 liters of fuel contained in the cracked ship’s interior.

At a recently held press conference, Profepa announced that the shipping company agreed to conclude the transfer in 3-4 weeks, depending on weather conditions.

Ciro Hurtado Ramos and Xóchitl Yin Hernández, on behalf of Representaciones Marítimas, S.A., said that all contingency protocols have been put in place, making it virtually impossible for fuel spill.

It has also been explained that Profepa has not opened any administrative procedure against the shipowner because “so far there is no recorded environmental damage”.

As informed, the latest tours of the wreck showed no indication of an oil spill. Additional booms have been placed on the spot by the agency and Mexico’s navy forces to make sure any potential leak is contained, the agency added.

Once the fuel and oil are removed, the 71,665 DWT ship will be sunk and converted into an artificial reef, according to Mexican authorities.

The ship fell victim to the Hurricane Patricia which hit the Mexico’s Pacific coast on October 23rd, wreaking havoc on the local coastal communities before weakening into a tropical depression.

The ship got grounded on the rocks and sustained considerable damage, as the ship’s hull was cracked in the middle and the ship is feared of splitting into half.