The day after.
WILLEMSTAD--An investigation will be launched following the massive fire that occurred on Sunday at Curaçao’s Isla oil refinery. The fire at the facility run by Venezuelan state oil company “Petróleos de Venezuela” PDVSA started at one of the crude distillation units. President of PDVSA Eulogio del Pino confirmed on Twitter that the fire was out, adding that there were no injuries. He also said an investigative committee had been formed.
PDVSA’s reliance on Isla has increased this year since the refinery restarted operations after a planned major maintenance programme. According to sources the refinery has been operating at around 50 per cent.
PDVSA has leased the plant – which opened in 1918 – under a lease agreement for decades. However, in 2016 the Government of Curaçao signed a preliminary agreement with China’s Guangdong Zhenrong Energy (GZE) to operate the ageing refinery and invest US $10 billion in upgrading the facility. Isla said there are enough petroleum products such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel and cooking gas in supply for the local market.
