An oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in early March spread more than 600 kilometres, including to seven nature reserves, and originated from a vessel yet to be identified and two "natural seepages", Mexican authorities announced. Authorities, however, ruled out the possibility of severe environmental damage from the spill off coast of the eastern state of Veracruz. The release of the preliminary findings on Thursday came after weeks of controversy surrounding the lack of transparency in the case.

Navy secretary Admiral Raymundo Morales said satellite image analysis and inspections of the area identified three sources of the spill: a vessel anchored off the coast of the port city of Coatzacoalcos, in the eastern state of Veracruz; a geological site where crude oil naturally seeps, known as a "chapopotera", located 8 kilometres from that port; and another natural seepage located in the Bay of Campeche.