If you were planning on sipping a cocktail while watching whales off the coast of El Sauzal—might want to do it now. That view could soon come with a backdrop of container cranes and fuel tanks.
Over 11,800 people (and counting) have signed a petition on Change.org asking Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to scrap the industrial expansion of the El Sauzal port. Their message? Ensenada doesn’t need a megaport. It needs working streets, clean water, and maybe a public restroom or two that doesn’t smell like sadness.
The proposal would turn the current fishing port into a high-volume industrial hub for containers and—because why not—hydrocarbons. The plan includes extending the breakwater by 4 kilometers, dredging the seafloor to gain 60 new hectares (not for swimming), and increasing container traffic from 400,000 to over 6 million. That’s a 15x jump for anyone keeping score.
And in case you thought this was all part of a master plan with full public support and thorough environmental vetting—think again. The project was announced casually by Sheinbaum during her December 5, 2024, morning press conference. No public consultation. No strategic environmental assessment. No technical analysis explaining why this is even a good idea. Just ta-da!—industrial port, coming right up.
Opponents say this monster project could wreck the Bay of Todos Santos. Not only would it bulldoze public beaches and block off shoreline access, it could also kneecap local fishing, endanger public health, and snarl traffic in a town that already suffers from daily bottlenecks and potholes you could lose a small car in.
“This puts our quality of life, economy, and marine culture at serious risk,” reads the petition. And they’re not exaggerating. One lane in, one lane out—what could go wrong when you add thousands of trucks?
Critics argue the 5.7 billion pesos set aside for this beast of a project would be better spent on fixing real issues—like modernizing public transport, upgrading wastewater treatment plants that still dump filth into the ocean, or saving what’s left of our water supply before we all start showering with baby wipes.
Change.org says it verifies that the signatures are from real humans, not just bots or angry sea lions.
At press time, no formal response from the federal government. But here in Ensenada, the pushback is real—and growing.
So if you care about your waves staying blue instead of oily gray, maybe check out the petition. And in the meantime, enjoy that sea breeze while it lasts.
