Mystery at Sea: Unraveling the Gulf Oil Spill

An oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been attributed to natural causes and a petroleum tanker yet to be identified, Mexican officials reported Thursday. The head of the Mexican navy, Raymundo Morales, revealed that satellite images identified the spill off the coast, pointing to one of 13 vessels as potential culprits.

Four of these ships remain in Mexican waters and are being scrutinized by the navy, while international cooperation has been requested to inspect nine others in international waters. Morales noted that ongoing and intermittent natural submarine oil seepage has also contributed to the environmental issue.

Efforts, in coordination with Mexico's state energy company Pemex, are focused on deploying marine barriers to mitigate further environmental damage. Pemex is conducting checks to exclude structural failures. Though marine wildlife has been affected, the environmental damage is not severe, says Environment Minister Alicia Barcena.