Mexico's President vows to tackle sargassum influx with more ships

President Claudia Sheinbaum stated her administration will make its "maximum effort" to reduce the arrival of sargassum seaweed on the beaches of Quintana Roo. Speaking Friday in Tulum, Sheinbaum acknowledged an increase in sargassum this month and announced plans to acquire more specialized ships.

"It is very difficult to prevent, to address the fundamental cause; it is complex and an international issue," Sheinbaum said. "What we can do is prevent the sargassum from reaching the beaches or make our maximum effort to reduce its arrival."

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What we can do is prevent the sargassum from reaching the beaches or make our maximum effort to reduce its arrival.

The president highlighted ongoing efforts by the state government, the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, the Secretariat of the Navy, and the Secretariat of Science and Technology. These coordinated efforts aim to develop a comprehensive program to tackle the sargassum problem.

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It is very difficult to prevent, to address the fundamental cause; it is complex and an international issue.

Key to the new strategy is the acquisition of more sargassum-collecting ships and enhanced barriers. These tools will help capture the seaweed at sea, preventing it from reaching the shore. The collected sargassum will then be transported to a center for recycling into potential economic uses, such as energy production or construction materials.

Sheinbaum explained that the focus is on capturing the seaweed offshore, which requires increased capacity. The plan is to present a more extensive solution to the sargassum problem soon.

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The focus is on capturing the seaweed offshore, which requires increased capacity.