A federal judge has issued a definitive suspension halting the transit of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers through the Gulf of California, effectively stalling the Saguaro natural gas project. The ruling prohibits authorities from allowing any LNG vessels to enter the waters surrounding Puerto Libertad, citing the need to prevent irreversible damage to the regional ecosystem.
While the infrastructure for the Saguaro project has not yet been physically constructed, the court order stops the movement of vessels that would be required to ferry construction equipment or platforms to the site. The legal challenge was filed last September against the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Agency for Safety, Energy and Environment (Asea), the two bodies tasked with overseeing environmental protection in the region.
Protecting marine life
The court document states that the suspension will remain in place to ensure that conditions remain unchanged until a final ruling on the underlying lawsuit is reached. The judge noted that the measure is necessary to protect the "life of the whales and their ecosystem" from the potential impacts of industrial shipping traffic.
Legal representatives for the plaintiffs argue that the case represents a shift in how Mexican courts view environmental rights. By arguing that nature possesses an inherent right to exist, the litigation seeks to move beyond traditional regulatory compliance.
"The whales sued and today they are winning," said Cabrera, a representative involved in the case. "What the whales are demanding is unique and had not happened in Mexico, but it follows an important global trend regarding the objective dimension of the right to a healthy environment, which includes the recognition of nature for its own sake."
The injunction applies to both the start of any new vessel traffic and the continuation of existing operations if they had already commenced. There is currently no fixed date for the final sentencing of the amparo lawsuit, meaning the restriction on tanker transit will remain in effect indefinitely until the court reaches a definitive conclusion.
