Puerto Vallarta officials are asking federal authorities to determine whether a vessel displaying a giant electronic advertising screen in Banderas Bay has the permits required for maritime operations, following strong public opposition to the vessel’s appearance off the city’s coast.
Photographs and videos shared on social media Saturday, September 19, showed the vessel sailing offshore with a large digital screen visible from land. The vessel is operated by Oceanic Marketing, which promotes the service as an alternative form of maritime advertising, using boats to display commercial messages where they can be seen from the shoreline.
The company’s promotional material describes the concept with the phrase, “Where your brand dominates the horizon.”
The appearance of the vessel quickly drew criticism from residents, environmental groups and City Councilman Christian Bravo, who raised concerns about what they described as a new form of visual and marine pollution. Statements calling for the activity to stop were also issued in coordination with the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat).
Mayor Requests Federal Investigation
With questions emerging about the vessel’s legal status and the permits required for this type of operation, Puerto Vallarta Mayor Luis Munguía formally asked President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to have federal authorities review the situation.
In an official letter dated Monday, September 21, Munguía requested an investigation into whether the vessel and the equipment being used to display commercial advertising have the necessary authorizations, certificates and permits to operate in Banderas Bay.
The request asks federal authorities to verify compliance with regulations covering navigation, maritime safety, environmental protection, pollution prevention and the use of national assets.
Munguía also asked the president to forward the matter to the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), the Port Captaincy, Semarnat and other appropriate federal agencies so they can conduct an immediate inspection of the vessels involved.
The mayor emphasized that the Puerto Vallarta municipal government has not issued authorization for this type of maritime advertising.
The municipality’s request contains six points for federal authorities to examine. Among them is whether the vessel has the documentation and authorizations required both to navigate and to conduct the commercial activities being carried out aboard it.
Officials are also asking whether this form of advertising, and the conditions under which it operates, are compatible with the legal framework governing Vallarta’s maritime and coastal areas.
The municipality has also pointed to local regulations addressing visual pollution. In his letter, Munguía cited Article 56 of Puerto Vallarta’s Visual Image and Identity Regulations, which prohibits the construction, installation or deployment of structures and “screens, displays, or grand displays” intended to advertise products or services within the municipality.
That provision is part of the city’s current regulations and reflects the municipality’s stated objective of limiting visual pollution.
Federal Jurisdiction Is Key
However, the existence of the municipal regulation does not by itself establish that the vessel is operating illegally.
A key issue is jurisdiction. A screen installed on a vessel operating in waters under federal jurisdiction may not automatically fall under a municipal regulation governing structures and advertising within the municipality.
For that reason, the city has not declared the vessel irregular or concluded that Article 56 directly applies to the floating screen.
Instead, the September 21 request asks federal authorities to establish what permits the vessel holds, the conditions under which it is authorized to operate, and whether the advertising activity complies with regulations governing the maritime and coastal areas of Puerto Vallarta.
Until that review is completed, there has been no official determination that the vessel is operating illegally or that it lacks the permits required for its activities.
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