The head of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), Alicia Bárcena, assured that cruise ships and other deep-draft vessels will not be permitted to dock at the port of Loreto, in Baja California Sur.
Participating in the third session of the working group on administrative regulations for navigation in the port, she emphasized that no decision will be made without listening to the opinions of all interested parties.
“By order of Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, there will be no cruise ships or deep-draft port in Loreto. Loreto Bay is a natural heritage site of great importance, and its regulation must be developed in consultation with the community,” she stated.
On April 10, the federal government published a decree in the Official Gazette reclassifying the port of Loreto and authorizing it to receive cruise ships and other deep-draft vessels.
Environmental organizations questioned the measure and warned of the risk it posed to the blue whale’s habitat, due to the noise generated and the ballast water discharged by large vessels, among other factors, as well as to local economies that depend on whale-watching tourism.
In response to the complaints, on May 25, the federal government revoked the reclassification decree and established a working group to analyze navigation regulations in the port of Loreto.
Previous working group sessions were held on June 8 and 22.
In the third session, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) detailed in a statement, the Secretariat of the Navy, through its Port Captaincies and Maritime Affairs Unit, reported that, following the repeal of the reclassification decree, the port of Loreto now has the status of a cabotage zone, and therefore, the reception of cruise ships operating in the open ocean is not permitted.
Meanwhile, the Integral Port Administration of Baja California Sur (APIBCS) reported that companies and shipping agents were informed of the denial of cruise ship arrival requests from 2026 to 2030.
Source: reforma
