Cozumel cruise ship dock indefinitely postponed amid environmental concerns

Shifting governmental tides and increasing ecological concerns person enactment plans for a cruise vessel dock connected clasp successful the Caribbean land of Cozumel successful the authorities of Quintana Roo.

The suspension was announced past week by Muelles del Caribe, the institution successful complaint of the project, aft lengthy discussions with the national Environment Ministry (Semarnat) and authorities authorities.

Ayer tuvimos el privilegio de bucear en el área en donde pretenden construir el cuarto muelle en la isla de Cozumel.

Habíamos dado una leída al manifiesto de impacto ambiental y nos imaginamos un arenal con uno que otro ejemplar y ya.

La MIA de este proyecto es una colección… pic.twitter.com/8OygIo1aWL

— Guillermo DChristy 🇲🇽🇺🇦 (@gchristy65) June 15, 2025

The caller dock was primitively approved by Semarnat successful December 2021 and the ministry issued a concession rubric successful January 2022, but the task has faced expanding absorption ever since.

Especially vocal were activists and section tourism operators who claimed the dock would harm the Villa Blanca coral reef located conscionable extracurricular the island’s nationalist marine park.

Greenpeace called the task “the continuation of a massive, predatory tourism exemplary driven by a fistful of backstage interests that devours quality and excludes the section population.”

Emergency responders besides voiced concern, saying the pier task — which would inhabit 59,000 quadrate meters of national maritime portion — would obstruct Coast Guard routes and perchance inhibit rescue missions successful confederate waters.

In June, Semarnat agreed to undertake a caller biology interaction study with a peculiar absorption connected the reef and the rights of the section colonisation to a steadfast environment.

Construction connected the dock — which would person been Cozumel’s 4th pier for cruise ships — had not yet begun arsenic Muelles de Caribe was awaiting the issuance of municipal permits.

During a July 4 sojourn to Cozumel, Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena said the task “was causing much problems than solutions.” (@aliciabarcena/X)

In a statement, the institution said it had agreed to “a suspension” of the project.

“This determination reflects our steadfast committedness to social, biology and firm responsibility, and reaffirms our dedication to the sustainable economical improvement of the land of Cozumel and the authorities of Quintana Roo,” the institution said successful a property release.

However, connected July 17, Cozumel Mayor José Luis Chacón said City Hall would not o.k. the caller pier, adding that helium had sent a missive to national officials stating conscionable that. 

Even without a caller pier, activists interest astir Cozumel being “over-touristed.” 

According to Cozumel authorities, successful 2023, astir 8.8 cardinal radical arrived connected the island, which is location to astir 110,000 people. In mid-April, officials were expecting upward of 80,000 tourists during Easter Week alone.

The projected pier consists of an L-shaped dock covering 1.16 hectares with capableness for 362 meter-long ships. The task besides features a terminal gathering for rider boarding and disembarking and a roadworthy linking the dock to downtown Cozumel.

With reports from El Economista, Riviera Maya News, Greenpeace and Opportimes