Construction at Royal Caribbean's new private destination in Mexico is now cleared to move forward following court rulings that lifted earlier injunctions.
On March 27, a hearing was held regarding the injunction, with the Mexican judge granting Royal Caribbean a suspension against the closure carried out by Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (PROFEPA), the federal agency responsible for enforcing environmental laws and regulations, in January.
Earlier this year, PROFEPA halted demolition at one of three sites after inspectors found "landfilling and compaction activities on a dirt road in a low-lying coastal jungle area with mangroves, as well as demolition and debris removal, all without the required environmental impact authorization from the competent federal authority."
(Credit: Francisco Javier Hernández / Facebook)
The provisional suspension was issued after environmental activists raised concerns about the large-scale project, claiming that Mahahual's drainage and sewage management problems could be worsened by the proposed water park. There was a debate over whether Perfect Day Mexico could damage the nearby mangroves, too.
However, despite the environmental concerns, the judge ruled in Royal Caribbean’s favor, allowing construction to resume, a local news outlet reported.
(Credit: Francisco Javier Hernández / Facebook)
While critics argue that this ruling places corporate policies and economic interests above community and environmental protection, Royal Caribbean has made it clear that it cares about the environment and will do what it can to safeguard mangrove areas, coastal ecosystems, and local wildlife.
Royal Caribbean has consistently said it plans to follow all regulatory requirements and minimize environmental impact as the project moves forward.
For example, when questioned about the project by El Financiero last year, Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer, said, "We are not going to touch anything at all in the mangrove conservation area," adding that the mangroves are already dying due to pollution from the municipal water treatment plant.
The company has also said it is committed to transparency and compliance with Mexican regulations as the legal process unfolds.
Why this matters
A project as ambitious as Perfect Day Mexico was bound to get the attention of a lot of people, and developing projects anywhere has its challenges.
On the surface, cruise fans can look forward to the eventual opening of a massive new private destination experience that builds upon the tremendous success of Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Just as important is this legal maneuver proves how committed Royal Caribbean is to improving the local community around Mahaual and protecting the environment.
Just last week, the company announced plans to build a new, state-of-the-art solid waste management facility in the area. This is an example of a win-win opportunity for company and community.
The current trash management that serves the area is less than ideal, and Royal Caribbean needs something more robust to support building Perfect Day Mexico. Significantly strengthening local waste infrastructure in Mahahual not only gets them what they need, but ensures the people living in the community have access to it too.
The new solid waste facility will incorporate advanced sorting technologies, closed-loop processing systems, high-efficiency material recovery solutions, and best-in-class environmental controls, enabling more efficient waste handling, resource recovery, and reduced reliance on landfills.
Plus, they're working with Maritime Procurement Services (MPS), which is a local company and that boosts the economy there.
In October, Royal Caribbean announced plans to clean up the mangroves in the area because for years, the coastal wetlands have been used to discharge wastewater from the municipal treatment plant.
According to Mr. Schneider, the antiquated sewer plant was leaking into the surrounding mangrove ecosystem, contaminating both the mangroves and the beach adjacent to the cruise ship pier.
In turn, Royal Caribbean will build their own reverse osmosis system to provide drinking water as well as a treatment plant to clean up the area, which will later be transferred to the municipal government to serve the entire community.
