Progreso Fishermen Call Out ‘Boat Cemeteries’ on the Beach

Fishermen in Progreso say some of the coast’s shelter ports have turned into what they’re calling cementerios de barcos — boat cemeteries.

Members of the artisanal fishing sector are pushing for a formal program to identify and remove abandoned or unused vessels sitting in the puertos de abrigo, or shelter ports, and fishing refuges along the Progreso coast. Boat owners who spoke about the issue asked to remain anonymous.

The problem, they say, is space. Boats that sit for years without fishing or any other productive use are taking up slots that active vessels — the ones actually generating jobs and income for local families — could be using instead.

Some of the idle boats have effectively become floating storage units, fishermen said, or get used for purposes that have nothing to do with fishing at all. That, they added, creates a safety issue on top of the crowding.

Any cleanup effort would need to follow proper regulations, according to fishermen, starting with an updated registry of vessels to sort out which boats are active, which are temporarily out of service, and which have genuinely been abandoned.

Clearing out the inactive boats, they argue, would free up space and bring order back to ports that have started to look more like junkyards than working harbors.

The complaint follows months of separate warnings from Yucalpetén boat owners about crowding at the port, where growth in both the fishing fleet and recreational marinas has been squeezing out space for working boats. It’s part of a broader strain on Progreso’s port infrastructure even as the deep-sea terminal expands a few kilometers away.

Fast Facts

• Issue: dozens of abandoned or unused boats occupying space in Progreso-area shelter ports
• Fishermen’s ask: a formal regularization program with an updated vessel registry
• Term coined locally: “cementerios de barcos,” or boat cemeteries
• Related concern: idle boats used for storage or non-fishing purposes raise safety worries

With reporting from Por Esto!