Yucatan News

One person died and five went missing after a fire broke out Sunday on a Pemex offshore platform in the Campeche Bay, Mexico.The fire broke out at the E-Ku-A2 platform at Pemex's Ku-Maloob-Zaap oil field at 3:10 pm Sunday and was brought under control an hour later.Pemex said that one person died, six people were injured, and five went missing. Pemex said it was conducting a search and rescue operation, as well as working damage assessment and stabilization of the integrity of…

A fire on the ocean surface west of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula early on Friday has been extinguished, state oil company Pemex said, blaming a gas leak from an underwater pipeline for sparking the blaze captured in videos that went viral.Bright orange flames jumping out of water resembling molten lava was dubbed an "eye of fire" on social media due to the blaze's circular shape, as it raged a short distance from a Pemex oil platform.The fire took more than five hours to fully put out…

Mexico's naval authorities on Tuesday ordered the closure of oil, cargo and passenger ports in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean ahead of Hurricane Delta, expected to sweep the Yucatan peninsula overnight.Ports shuttered to large ships included Dos Bocas in Tabasco and oil installations in Campeche.(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; editing by Drazen Jorgic)

Energy companies were securing offshore production platforms and evacuating workers on Tuesday, some for the sixth time this year, as a major hurricane took aim at U.S. oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.Hurricane Delta, the 25th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season, was churning in the Caribbean with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (225 kph), already a dangerous Category 4 storm that is expected to scrape across Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and re-enter the…

A pair of tropical cyclones forecast to become hurricanes early next week are headed for the U.S. Gulf Coast and will spin over the Gulf's warm waters simultaneously, a rare weather event that could cause massive disruption as they make landfall.The last time two cyclones entered the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was in 1959, according to meteorologists interviewed by Reuters, and there have only been a handful of other occasions when two storms entered the Gulf simultaneously. In 1933, a Category 3 hurricane and moderate tropical storm hit the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Florida officials to open an Atlantic Coast port to a Dutch cruise ship stuck at sea with a deadly coronavirus outbreak onboard, urging the governor to drop his opposition.Weighing in on the fate of Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam during a White House briefing, Trump said he would call Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has declared the vessel unwelcome to prevent its sick passengers from being “dumped” on his state.“They’re dying on the ship…

The international container terminal operating company APM Terminals announced that APM Terminals Yucatán, operator of the Port of Progreso, Mexico, will invest to expand and modernize the Progreso container terminal, supporting trade growth and economic development in the Yucatan peninsula.The Netherlands-headquartered the terminal has seen tremendous growth, having doubled its volumes from 80,000 to 140,000 TEUs throughput over the last two years, as the region’s economic activities expand. This year alone the terminal expects 20-35% further growth in volume.The terminal provides the region with unparalleled connectivity through 5 vessels a week, including direct connections with the US and Europe.

Carnival Fantasy assists the Coast Guard in Rescuing 23 Individuals on the High Seas.The Coast Guard and the crew of the cruise ship Carnival Fantasy rescued 23 individuals on the high seas, 130 nautical miles off the Yucatan Peninsula, The Coast Guard received a report at 1:15 a.m. from a Cuban national stating his brother and 22 other individuals were adrift aboard a disabled sports fisher. It was reported that 22 Cuban nationals started their voyage from Cuba to Mexico on a…

The National Hurricane Center has announced a Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio. A Hurricane Watch is also in effect for the Alabama-Florida border to Suwannee River Florida.A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Suwannee River to Anna Maria Island Florida, including Tampa Bay and for the Alabama-Florida border to the Mississippi-Alabama borderAt 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Michael was located near latitude 20.9 North, longitude 85.1 West. Michael is moving toward the north near 7 mph (11 km/h).

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for an unresponsive aircraft that went missing in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 118 nautical miles north of the Yucatan Peninsula, Thursday. The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at the Eighth District command center in New Orleans received a report from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Wednesday evening that one person aboard a privately owned Cirrus plane was unresponsive likely due to hypoxia. The pilot flew from Oklahoma City and was reportedly headed to Georgetown, Texas.

Tropical Storm Nate killed at least 22 people in Central America on Thursday as it pummeled the region with heavy rain while heading toward Mexico's Caribbean resorts and the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it could strike as a hurricane this weekend. In Nicaragua, at least 11 people died, seven others were reported missing and thousands had to evacuate homes because of flooding, said the country's vice president Rosario Murillo. Emergency officials in Costa Rica reported that at least eight people were killed due to the lashing rain, including two children. Another 17 people were missing, while more than 7,000 had to take refuge from Nate in shelters, authorities said.

Royal Caribbean International announced it will return to New Orleans with a seasonal home-based cruise ship in late 2018. The 915-foot Vision of the Seas will sail seven-night itineraries to destinations across the Bahamas and Yucatan Peninsula from the Port of New Orleans’ Julia Street Cruise Terminal. The ship will sail on Saturdays. “The Port of New Orleans is thrilled to welcome back Royal Caribbean. We look forward to working productively together for many years to come,” said Brandy Christian, Port President and CEO.

APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico’s largest semi-automated terminal, received its first official vessel call today with the arrival of the 9,600 TEU capacity Maersk Salalah on the AC2 Transpacific service from Asia. “This is a milestone as we add an additional operational terminal to our portfolio. A priority for us is to transition terminals under implementation into operation, and make them as efficient as possible to support our customers.” said Morten H. Engelstoft, CEO of APM Terminals. “We have a significant portfolio across Latin America, and this will be our second terminal in Mexico after Yucatan. We are pleased to be a contributor in helping Mexico to reach its growth ambitions,” Morten added.

South Korea’s Kogas  (Korea Gas Corporation) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mexican state of Yucatan to construct an liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and gas pipelines that would be worth up to $1.5 billion in a package deal.    The LNG terminal will be built in the port city of Progreso in Yucatan, and gas pipe lines will be installed between the terminal to cities such as Merida and Cancun to supply LNG gas. The project is expected to be worth in between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.    The MOU was signed August 9 by Kogas’ president and the governor of the state.    According to Reuters, Kogas intends to conduct a feasibility study looking into demand for gas in the region before making a decision to move forward with the project.

Six people died in eastern Mexico on Saturday after they were buried in landslides caused by intense rainfall from the remnants of now-downgraded Tropical Storm Earl, an emergency services official said. The six deaths involved two separate families in eastern Veracruz state, emergency services spokesman Manuel Escalera said. He added that local authorities were continuing to monitor rising rivers and saturated soil that could trigger additional landslides. Earl's maximum wind speed dropped to 30 mph (48 kmh) by Saturday afternoon, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. It was located approximately 105 miles (169 km) east of Mexico City, after pounding portions of Central America and crossing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula over the past couple days.

Tropical Storm Earl moved inland early on Saturday over southeastern Mexico where torrential rains could produce deadly flash floods and mudslides, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm with winds of 50 mph (80 kmh) was about 30 miles (50 km) southwest of Veracruz, Mexico as it headed west at 9 mph (15 km), the Miami-based center said in an advisory late on Friday night. The center said Earl would weaken as it moved inland throughout the day on Saturday, but could produce rainfall up to 12 inches (30 cm) and might produce 18 inches (45 cm) of rain in some areas in the Mexican states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Puebla, Tabasco and Campeche. The rains could result in life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, the center said.

Tropical storm Earl whipped Belize with wind and heavy rain as it weakened, moving into Guatemala toward southeastern Mexico on Thursday after hundreds of people took shelter overnight. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said at 1200 GMT that Earl had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (105 km per hour) as it churned about 90 miles (145 km) west of Belize City. Earl had been a hurricane overnight. Late Wednesday, over 1,000 people were in shelters in Belize City, according to Philip Willoughby, who is in charge of the city's emergency management. Dozens of people were also evacuated in Honduras on Wednesday, the government said. As it moves west, Earl is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later Thursday or by Friday morning, the NHC said.

APM Terminals has completed the USD 1 billion acquisition of Spanish Grup Maritim TCB’s port and rail interests. APM Terminals has yet to receive approval for three of 11 terminals under Grup Maritim TCB, but has decided to move ahead with the acquisition, as the remaining terminals constitute less than 5% of the value of the acquisition. The acquisition thus adds 8 ports with a combined 2 million TEU equity-weighted volume to APM Terminals, expanding the network to 72 operating ports, across 69 countries. The acquisition complements APM Terminals current portfolio, adding 7% throughput in key locations including Spanish container terminal concessions in Barcelona, Valencia and Castellon, on the Mediterranean coast, along with the concessions in Gijon, on the Bay of Biscay.

APM Terminals has reached an agreement with Perez y Cia to acquire their majority stake in the Barcelona-based Grup Maritim TCB and its maritime services’ container terminal portfolio in Europe and Latin America. Grup Maritim TCB has 11 container terminals with an annual throughput capacity of 4.3 million TEUs and an estimated annual container volume of 3.5 million TEUs. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year and is subject to certain conditions precedent, including relevant approvals. Terms and price were not disclosed. Grup Maritim TCB consists of Spanish container terminal concessions in Barcelona, Valencia and Castellon…

APM Terminals has reached an agreement with Perez y Cia to acquire their majority stake in the Barcelona-based Grup Maritim TCB and its maritime services’ container terminal portfolio in Europe and Latin America. Grup Maritim TCB has 11 container terminals with an annual throughput capacity of 4.3 million TEUs and an estimated annual container volume of 3.5 million TEUs. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year and is subject to certain conditions precedent, including relevant approvals. Terms and price were not disclosed. Grup Maritim TCB consists of Spanish container terminal concessions in Barcelona, Valencia and Castellon…

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Diligence is scheduled to return to their homeport in Wilmington Saturday following a 45-day patrol in the Caribbean Sea. During their patrol, the Diligence crew conducted search and rescue operations off the west coast of Cuba and conducted drug interdiction operations in the vicinity of Columbia and Panama. In anticipation of Aviation Standardization, a three-day assessment of the Diligence crew's flight operations capabilities scheduled for early October, the crew practiced flight operations their first evening underway. An MH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Savannah in Savannah, Georgia, met the cutter crew to conduct deck landings, helicopter in flight refueling (HIFR) and vertical replenishment (VERTREP) exercises.

APM Terminals announces the agreement to purchase the remaining 39% shareholder of Grup Maritim TCB. On 8 September 2015, APM Terminals announced the agreement with Perez y Cia to acquire their majority share (61%) in Grup Maritim TCB. As a result, APM Terminals has agreed to acquire 100% of the issued shares and to become the sole controlling shareholder of Grup Maritim TCB. The implied enterprise value of the transaction is approximately USD 1 billion with expected capex investments of USD 400 mill over the next 5 years, subject to market conditions. In the short term the acquisition will be ROIC dilutive due to ongoing investments in Guatemala and other growth markets.

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