Photo: Flickr

By KELIN DILLON

Mexican state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) has come under scrutiny for awarding a contract worth over 28 billion pesos to Grupo Cotemar without allowing for bids from the competition – a contract award that’s particularly controversial due to Grupo Cotemar’s involvement in two Pemex accidents that resulted in the loss of nine lives.

Grupo Cotemar’s involvement in two accidents, one in August 2021 and another in July 2023, for which Pemex found the company liable, has further fueled criticism of the company’s safety practices. The 2021 accident, an explosion on the E-Ku A2 platform in the Campeche Sound, resulted in the loss of seven lives, including five Cotemar employees. Similarly, the 2023 incident at the Nohoch Alfa Processing Center in the Cantarell Complex claimed two lives and left one person missing.

Pemex attributed both accidents to safety protocol violations by both Pemex and Cotemar personnel due to lapses in following safety regulations. The explosions had significant blowback on Pemex’s oil and natural gas production, with a reported 13.6 percent reduction in Pemex’s natural gas volume from July to August 2023 after the second incident occurred.

Mexico’s civil organizations documented that the fire also caused an oil spill that covered 400 square kilometers, while Pemex maintained that only 365 barrels were spilled, covering 60 square meters.

Still, despite these serious safety and production concerns, Mexico’s Agency for Safety, Energy, and Environment (ASEA) did not impose sanctions on Grupo Cotemar, adding to the growing scrutiny about accountability in Pemex’s contracting practices and safety oversight.

Though Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has repeatedly touted his administration’s impartiality with awarding, Grupo Cotemar has emerged as one of Pemex’s favorite suppliers during the current administration, even despite its controversies.

This new 28 billion peso contract for maintaining offshore facilities in the Pemex Exploration and Production (PEP) Marine Region, which is valid until September 2029, adds to another direct award of over 19 billion pesos the AMLO administration gave to Grupo Cotemar on January 29, 2024. 

Meanwhile, the contract given to Grupo Cotemar in January involves the company handling the maintenance, rehabilitation, adaptation, and modernization of infrastructure in PEP’s marine regions, which remains valid until December 2028.