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The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) warned that the mega-spill in the Ek Balam fields, in Campeche, could reach the United States.
“It will probably head towards the east-northeast and eventually make landfall on the Gulf coast, in Veracruz, Tamaulipas or the United States,” said Gabriela Gómez Rodríguez, an academic at the Institute of Geography (IGg) of the highest house of studies.
And it is that through the analysis of the event -with the help of radar images- it was also estimated that then July 12, the oil spill already reached an area of 467 square kilometers.
In that sense, the Ek Balam fields are part of the Cantarell Complexlocated 80 kilometers northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche.
In this way, Gómez Rodríguez explained that through the images the texture of the objects is essentially detected and it is possible to discriminate on the sea surface, due to the difference in densities and the pattern of waves, the hydrocarbon slick from the rest of the ocean.
Thus, images of the area were processed to determine the geographic location of the oil slick contour and estimate the coverage of its area.
The expert added that there are various models of marine currents with which it is possible to estimate where the stain will lead and, based on the analysis of maps included in the Environmental Baseline Atlas of the Gulf of Mexicoit is expected that it may land on the Gulf coast in the neighboring country.
AMLO minimizes mega-spill: “it was a small oil leak,” he says
When questioned about this mega-spill, the president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) minimized the magnitude of the situation and, he assured, that it was a small leak.
“There are two very unfortunate events, a small leak, already dissolved, of oil, a lot, a lot, a lot, very small, nothing to do with what the report said. Reform, and keeps saying, how many kilometers? 467 kilometers, an exaggeration! an invention of Reform“, said.
In addition to this, after complaints made by environmentalists, Pemex confirmed, through a statement, that there was an oil spill in the Ek Balam fields, in the Campeche Sound; however, he assured that the affected area is much lower than that reported by environmentalists and civil organizations.
In addition, Pemex stated that the fact that the affected area was 400 square kilometers -which was calculated by activists- “is an estimate in bad faith, that for it to be true, more than a million and a half barrels of oil would have to have been spilled.”
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UNAM warns that Pemex mega-spill will reach the US; AMLO minimizes leakage