Wrecked Bulk Carrier to be Scuttled Off Mexico

Photo: PROFEPA

A 223-meter bulk carrier will need to be scuttled after suffering catastrophic damage from its grounding along a remote stretch of coast in Mexico during Hurricane Patricia last week.

The bulk carrier, the Mexican-flagged Los Llanitos, is pinned against rocks in Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, to the north of the port of Manzanillo. The ship has been stuck there since Friday after it attempted to ride out powerful Hurricane Patricia. All 27 crew members were evacuated from the vessel without injuries.

The ship is not carrying any cargo, but it still holds an estimated 11,484 liters of oil and 489 cubic meters of diesel, according to the Mexican environmental agency PROFEPA.

An update on Thursday from the agency said that the shipping company responsible for the vessel, who at this point has gone unnamed, has now started placing boom around the vessel. PROFEPA is also calling for the full removal of oil and other containments “in due course.”

The news comes one day after PROFEPA said the shipping owners were unresponsive to requests to place containment boom around the wreck.

During a meeting held in nearby Puerto Vallarta on Wendesday, it was determined that it will not be feasible to remove the ship from the area and that it will need to be scuttled “for the purpose of creating an artificial reef”.

In addition to PROFEPA, Mexico’s Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) are also involved in the response.