Puerto Rico Morning Brief Tuesday, October 13, 2026

The Puerto Rico government told New Fortress Energy, through the Ports Authority and Energy Secretary Josué Colón, that the tanker Amur River will have priority to enter San Juan Bay on Tuesday morning, October 13. The vessel had been waiting to enter since September 16 and faced multiple delays. It carries natural gas for power plants in San Juan, Palo Seco and other areas.

Abel Vale, president of Ciudadanos del Karso, called a demonstration in front of the Capitol on Tuesday, October 13, at 10:00 AM. The protest opposes the substitute permit reform bill, which the Senate has scheduled for a vote that same day. Vale spoke on the program Normando en la Mañana on NotiUno 630, in an interview with Ángel Gary Rodríguez, who was filling in for Normando Valentín. He said the so-called permit reform is being done for certain sectors only. He added that the rest of Puerto Rico’s people have not had a chance to participate, whatever the Senate president may say.

The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources has begun a technical evaluation over a possible drop in bioluminescence levels in Puerto Mosquito Bay, Vieques. Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez confirmed that technical staff of the department’s Auxiliary Secretariat of Conservation and Research began evaluating bioluminescence measures. They acted after detecting a low amount of Pyrodinium bahamense var. bahamense, the organism responsible for the bay’s bioluminescence. The bay is internationally recognized for its intense bioluminescence and has appeared in the Guinness World Records as one of the brightest bioluminescent bays in the world.

The eviction of Doña María Magdalena Ortiz Rosado, 83, is expected to be made official sometime this week. After almost three decades as a tenant in Hato Rey, she will have to leave the home she has lived in. Her case is not unique: few cases become public, but more older adults are being left without housing.

Puerto Rico has more than twice as many adults 65 and older as children under 15. About 26% of residents, or 828,673 people, are 65 or older, which is 92,000 more than in 2020. World Bank data place Puerto Rico third in the world on that measure, behind Japan at 30% and Monaco at 36%. The Statistics Institute’s Aging Index, which compares the two groups, rose from 168 seniors per 100 children in 2020 to 237 in 2025, a 41% increase.

On a typical morning from October 5 to 11, about 4,390 LUMA customers were without service at 6:00 AM. That is the middle reading of the seven mornings, out of about 1.47 million customers.