– Press Release, Belize Government Press Office – Commandant Rear Admiral John Borland of the Belize Coast Guard reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that in the wee hours of this morning June 26, 2015, that a 55 ft. Mexican Navy Vessel, a “Polaris – Intercepter” experienced a “soft grounding”, on the mud flats and shoals just south of Blackadore Caye, adjacent to Ambergris Caye.
Mexican Navy vessels customarily transit from their Chetumal Bay base on a routinely scheduled basis through that area with the knowledge and permission of the Government of Belize to access their southern most outpost at Xcalac.
The Belize Coast Guard immediately responded from their Forward Operating Base at San Pedro Ambergris Caye. They are in communication with the Mexican Navy and are cooperating on a response to this incident. The Belize Coast Guard along with the Belize Port Authority, the Department of the Environment, and the Fisheries Department are coordinating an assessment of the impact of the grounding of the Mexican Navy Vessel.
On a related note, the Belize Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mexican Secretariat of External Relations are currently in the process of completing negotiations on a Memorandum of Understanding on Innocent Passage to formalize such Mexican Navy transit arrangements through our maritime spaces in accordance with Contemporary International Law and Practice.
