Citizens and marine researchers in Ensenada are pushing back against a proposed third cruise pier in Bahía de Todos Santos, warning that construction would alter ocean currents and damage the coastal ecosystem. The Ensenada cruise pier expansion, known as “Muelle 3,” would cover roughly 15 hectares of coastal zone and is being developed by Hutchison Ports, the operator of Ensenada Cruiseport Village.
Hutchison Ports Plans 15 Hectare Expansion for Larger Ships
The project aims to accommodate cruise ships up to 365 meters long, a size that Ensenada’s current infrastructure cannot handle. Laura Rodríguez, commercial director of Cruise Port Village, has said the port risks falling behind other Pacific destinations without modernization.
Opponents held a public meeting where they accused Hutchison Ports of fragmenting the project’s environmental review. They allege the company excluded a planned themed park from its environmental impact assessment, effectively splitting the project to minimize regulatory scrutiny. Researchers and citizens are now preparing legal action against the construction.
Conflict Follows Federal Cancellation of Separate Port Expansion
The Muelle 3 dispute comes just weeks after a related but separate victory for Ensenada’s environmental movement. On February 2, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the cancellation of a larger container port expansion that had threatened surf breaks and marine habitat along the same bay. Ensenada Digna, a coalition of 51 local organizations, celebrated that decision after months of public protests.
But the cruise pier project appears to be moving forward on a different track. Rodríguez has noted that Ensenada receives between 3 and 4 million cruise passengers per year, each spending an estimated $63 on average. That figure puts the cruise industry’s local economic impact at roughly $63 million annually per million visitors.
Marine Researchers Warn of Current Changes in Todos Santos Bay
Environmental experts with years of experience studying marine behavior in the bay say pier construction on this scale could redirect water flow patterns and threaten local species. The Port of Ensenada sits within Bahía de Todos Santos, a natural harbor about 70 miles south of the U.S. border that supports both commercial fishing and recreational marine activity.
Legal challenges are expected in the coming weeks as opponents formalize their case against what they call an incomplete environmental review, according to Semanario Zeta.