Quintana Roo Is Ready to Combat Sargassum

As the 2020 seaweed season approaches, the government of Quintana Roo is ready to combat sargassum. According to a report in the Riviera Maya News, six sargassum-fighting vessels will be ready to take on the arrival of the algae.

Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez noted that he has consulted with the Navy of Mexico on how to best collect the seaweed before it reaches Quintana Roo beaches. Despite a predicted decrease in sargassum for 2020, the government is determined to remain ready to proactively protect beaches and prevent the buildup of the algae.

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Earlier this year, the government of Quintana Roo announced that it would be building ships to clean up the seaweed at a rate of 80 tons per day. One of the vessels is ready to be put into service, according to the report, and another is expected to arrive in early 2020. There will be a total of six ships eventually in the region, noted the governor, who added that ships will also be needed in Benito Juárez, Solidaridad, Puerto Morelos, Tulum and in Mahahual.

The ships have a crane, three conveyor belts for sargassum, a bag collection system of 1,300-plus pounds each and a washing system.

“These ships are a fundamental part of the Mexican government's strategy to contain the atypical phenomenon of sargassum and its characteristics make them ideal for navigation in the Mexican Caribbean,” shipyard director Jorge Daniel Zamora said.