Mexico deploys navy ships against sargassum surge

Mexico is deploying navy ships and beach crews to remove a large influx of sargassum from Caribbean beaches, including near Cancun and Playa del Carmen, after officials said some days were bringing more than 9,000 tons ashore.

Environmental Secretary Alicia Barcena said July 30 that this year had been unusually difficult, with beach sargassum four times higher than last year and 27 times the historic average.

Naval Secretary Raymundo Morales said the $115 million response includes specialized anti-sargassum boats, two open-ocean ships, amphibious vehicles and more than 500 personnel in protective gear.

Officials said the collected seaweed is sold to private buyers for uses including energy production. Quintana Roo, the state that includes Cancun and Playa del Carmen, brought in more than $18 billion in tourism revenue last year.

Barcena said the “massive arrival” of sargassum was due to irregular ocean currents starting in 2011, which pushed seaweed from the Atlantic Ocean’s Sargasso Sea into nutrient-rich waters where it expanded.