STORY: Mexican officials said Thursday (March 26) that an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was due to natural causes and an unknown petroleum tanker.
Navy Secretary Raymundo Morales said satellite images showed a slick off the coast, which could have been caused by any of 13 vessels that passed through.
Four of those vessels are being inspected by the navy.
Mexico has requested international cooperation to monitor the remaining nine that have left its waters.
Morales says natural seabed oil seepage also contributed:
"These are natural oil seeps that emit all year round. However, in this last month, it has intensified. We need to evaluate what is happening: whether the natural emission has increased or if there is a structural failure on some platform. We will only determine this by verifying on site, that's why we already have underwater drones and divers checking the entire installation."
Authorities, along with Mexico's state energy company Pemex, have deployed marine barriers to contain the spill.
Morales said Pemex is also conducting underwater checks to rule out oil rig damage.
Though the spill has affected beach health and marine life in Mexico's southern states, Environment Secretary Alicia Barcena said the situation was under control.
"There are seven areas that have been monitored, where some oil has washed ashore, but they have already been cleaned. We are really working together with all the institutions present here, but for the moment, I think we don't have severe damage."
