At least 20,000 tons of Cuban ballast arrived in Mexico for the construction of the controversial Mayan Train project promoted by the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in the state of Quintana Roo, according to local sources.
The material acquired by the Mexican government was transported on the freighter Melody and arrived this Wednesday in Puerto Morelos, maintains a report from The Sun of Mexico.
The arrival of the ship from the Cuban port of Cienfuegos was confirmed by the director of the Comprehensive Port Administration of Quintana, Vagner Elbiorn Vega, who also said that it is anchored in front of the hotel and Marina “El Cid” area.
“The boat with the stone comes from Cuba, from Cienfuegos, but the companies in charge of transporting it, chartering it, moving it, none of them are Cuban,” Elbiorn Vega also specified.
The burden of Melody It will be taken to the unloading area by barge because the Puerto Morelos dock does not have the draft that the ship needs to dock there, according to port sources.
The stone purchased from Cuba will be used in sections 5 and 6 of the Mayan Train, which cover the route from Cancun to Chetumal.
The head of the Port Administration of Puerto Morelos, Iván Ferrat Mancera, pointed out that the unloading of the Cuban ballast could take between three to four days and that special machinery would have to be used.
He also assured that the unloading does not put the reef banks of Puerto Morelos at risk, since the unloading will not take place in that area, since the cargo ship is anchored on the outskirts, a good distance from the marine park.
The stone will be stored in a collection center in Leona Vicario and then distributed to the different sections through which the Mayan Train will pass.
Ferrat Mancera said that they expect to receive almost 2.5 million tons of Cuban ballast for the construction of the infrastructure of this project from the current Mexican government.
In mid-January it emerged that Cuba would begin the export of this stone to Mexico with the shipment of a first ship that began to be loaded in the port of Cienfuegos.
On that occasion, the director of the Port Services Company of the Center, César Rosell León, explained to the Cuban News Agency that the first ship would carry 25,000 tons to Mexico.
Rosell León explained that the manipulation of the stone, some up to one meter in size, is a strong and rustic task, where several types of transportation are involved in a combined manner.
This stone or ballast was extracted from the Arriete quarry, in the municipality of Palmira, and will serve as "padding" or support for the tracks of the Mayan Train project, which will cover some 1,500 kilometers in length and will link the Mexican states. from Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.
Although the Cuban official press affirms that this project promoted by the ally of the López Obrador regime is done in support of the sustainable development of the people of Mexico, it has been surrounded by strong controversies in the country.
Among other issues, detractors of Maya Trends They point out the environmental impact of the destruction of the jungle, the impact of cenotes or the modification of ecosystems due to changes in the project's route.
The purchase of Cuban ballast It is part of the agreements maintained by the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel with his Mexican counterpart in the recent meeting held by both leaders last February.
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