About 150 cubic meters of oil have been pumped from the
731-foot bulk carrier vessel Los Llanitos, which ran aground
along the Pacific Coast of Mexico during Hurricane Patricia in late October,
according to a Mexican environmental protection agency.
The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA)
said the oil was pumped from the shipwreck over the weekend of Nov. 14-15.
Salvage work is focused on removing the entire 11,484 liters
of oil, 489 cubic meters of diesel and other contaminants onboard the
Mexican-flagged vessel.
It was Oct. 23 when the 22-year-old Los Llanitos dragged
anchor and ran aground 25 nautical miles off Manzanillo, Mexico. A total of
27 crewmembers were onboard during the accident; 19 were rescued by helicopter,
while the others initially remained to try salvaging the ship. All have since
been evacuated.
The vessel, operated by Mexico City-based maritime services
company Naviera Para Mineral, has been broken in half and is beyond repair,
according to director general of the Mexican Merchant Marine.
