Salina Cruz Demands Full Remediation from Pemex After 62 Oil Spills in Four Years

Residents and authorities of Bahía La Ventosa, Salina Cruz, submitted a formal petition to Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) on June 29, 2026, demanding comprehensive reparations for hydrocarbon contamination along the Oaxacan coast. According to the Salina Cruz municipal government, more than 62 spills have been recorded in the area between 2022 and 2026.

The most recent trigger was a spill detected on June 23, whose fuel slicks extended approximately three kilometers offshore and six kilometers along the beach, according to Diana González, municipal Ecology Director of Salina Cruz, as cited by Infobae México. Pemex denied the incident through an official information sheet, though the Energy and Environment Safety Agency (ASEA) already holds a documented record of the spill history, with dates and affected zones. The four discharge pipelines of the Antonio Dovalí Jaime refinery, which processes 240,000 barrels per day and is Pemex's largest refining complex on the Pacific coast, are identified as the primary source of the discharges. Repairs to those pipelines had been promised since May 2022 and remain incomplete, according to Aristegui Noticias.

The petition, also addressed to President Claudia Sheinbaum and Pemex's Director General, contains five demands:

- Public acknowledgment of the June 23 spill, which the company denied. - Full removal or replacement of the four discharge pipelines at Bahía La Ventosa. - Specialized cleanup of the sea, beaches, lagoons, and mangroves by an external contractor. The community reported that Pemex hired only seven workers without protective equipment to collect waste, as reported by El Universal. - Economic reparations for fishers, divers, restaurant owners, and service providers whose marine products can no longer be sold commercially. - Preventive measures to avoid future incidents.

Municipal agent Margarita Domínguez González warned that if no response is forthcoming, mobilizations and blockades at the refinery will continue. The demand for comprehensive reparation activates environmental liability mechanisms under ASEA and the Hydrocarbons Law, setting a precedent for the remediation standards applicable to Pemex facilities in coastal zones.

This article was written with artificial intelligence assistance based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.