USCG, Mexican Navy discuss joint oil spill response plan

The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy held a seminar Tuesday in South Padre Island, to update the MEXUSGULF plan for a future coordinated response to a spill in the Gulf of Mexico that would impact both countries.

MEXUSGULF is a joint contingency plan between the United States and Mexico. It provides standard operational procedures with respect to bi-national coordination in case of pollution incidents that may represent a threat to coastal waters or the marine environment of the border zone of both countries.

Leaders from Mexico and the United States gather regularly to ensure they can have a coordinated response if something were to happen in the gulf.

The objectives of the MEXUS response are to  prevent, control, mitigate or eliminate the threat of an incident, to minimize adverse effects to the marine environment, and to protect public health and welfare.