Photo: Presidencia

By KELIN DILLON

On Monday, Feb. 17, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (CSP) confirmed that elements of the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) will provide support to oil platforms run by Mexico’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).

The news comes just days after reports that a group of “pirates” attacked Pemex’s Zapp Delta platform, which produces 40 percent of Mexico’s crude oil, in the Campeche Sound.

According to the Union of Petroleum Workers of the Mexican Republic (STPRM), a group of assailants attacked several Pemex workers, leaving two with serious injuries, and looted valuables during the assault. 

“Semar will be providing support in case of any situation that may occur on any of the platforms and Pemex’s surveillance,” Sheinbaum said during Monday’s daily morning press conference. 

Sheinbam urged Pemex to provide a detailed report of the incident to the federal government to help prevent such an attack from occurring again.

The attack only adds to Pemex’s mounting problems, including salt-laden crude oil rejected by U.S. refineries, $98 billion in debt, and an ongoing hunger strike among workers protesting poor-quality food.