Spring Break
United States concerned with smuggling in Mexican trucks
Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: World News
COATZACOALCOS, Mexico _ When a group claiming to be part of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia called in February for jihadists to strike Mexican oil installations in a bid to cripple the U.S. economy, Mexico announced that its navy had gone on alert and had stepped up surveillance of offshore oil platforms and port facilities.
A month later, however, a McClatchy reporter was able to approach Mexican oil installations virtually unchallenged, raising questions about how secure Mexico's ports are from terrorist attacks.
After Canada, Mexico is the largest foreign source of crude for the oil-addicted U.S. economy. An attack that seriously disrupted that supply could drive up gasoline prices in the U.S. as well as disrupt Mexico's economy, which is heavily dependent on oil revenues.
Last month, a McClatchy reporter was able to get close to an offshore oil platform off the Gulf of Mexico port city of Paraiso in the state of Tabasco without being challenged. The platform pumps oil from Cantarell, Mexico's gigantic undersea oil field, which is among the world's largest.
Two days later in the neighboring oil-rich state of Veracruz, the reporter came alongside a massive double-hulled oil tanker, the Eagle Tampa, in the port of Coatzacoalcos, even talking with the ship's captain, an Indian national. The Singapore-registered ship is operated by American Eagle Tankers, whose parent company is Malaysia's state oil company, Petronas.
To prevent tipping off terrorists, McClatchy won't reveal exactly how it avoided Mexican port security. But the ease with which the reporter approached installations at a time of supposedly heightened security underscores the difficulty that Mexico faces in securing its ports and oil installations.
The Mexican navy, the state oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, and the ship's owners in London declined to discuss specific or general questions about security. The port administrator in Coatzacoalcos, Gilberto Rios Ruiz, said it appeared that the security breakdown had occurred in the state oil company, since it's charged with regulating a checkpoint that grants access to its Pajaritos terminal.
A month later, however, a McClatchy reporter was able to approach Mexican oil installations virtually unchallenged, raising questions about how secure Mexico's ports are from terrorist attacks.
After Canada, Mexico is the largest foreign source of crude for the oil-addicted U.S. economy. An attack that seriously disrupted that supply could drive up gasoline prices in the U.S. as well as disrupt Mexico's economy, which is heavily dependent on oil revenues.
Last month, a McClatchy reporter was able to get close to an offshore oil platform off the Gulf of Mexico port city of Paraiso in the state of Tabasco without being challenged. The platform pumps oil from Cantarell, Mexico's gigantic undersea oil field, which is among the world's largest.
Two days later in the neighboring oil-rich state of Veracruz, the reporter came alongside a massive double-hulled oil tanker, the Eagle Tampa, in the port of Coatzacoalcos, even talking with the ship's captain, an Indian national. The Singapore-registered ship is operated by American Eagle Tankers, whose parent company is Malaysia's state oil company, Petronas.
To prevent tipping off terrorists, McClatchy won't reveal exactly how it avoided Mexican port security. But the ease with which the reporter approached installations at a time of supposedly heightened security underscores the difficulty that Mexico faces in securing its ports and oil installations.
The Mexican navy, the state oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, and the ship's owners in London declined to discuss specific or general questions about security. The port administrator in Coatzacoalcos, Gilberto Rios Ruiz, said it appeared that the security breakdown had occurred in the state oil company, since it's charged with regulating a checkpoint that grants access to its Pajaritos terminal.
Be the first to comment on this story