WILLEMSTAD - The political party MAN-PIN says in a press release that it has taken note of the signing of a 30-year contract between Refineria di Korsou (RdK) and Oryx, in the presence, auspices, and blessing of Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas. 

The opposition party indicates that both RdK, Oryx, and Prime Minister Pisas made it clear that Oryx will use the refinery installations only for “blending,” meaning mixing and storage of petroleum. Nothing more. “This signifies that the Pisas 2 Cabinet has ended oil refining in Curaçao after more than 100 years of petroleum refining on the island. With this decision, Pisas and his cabinet have concluded a significant chapter for the people of Curaçao<” says the party in its press release.  

“There was a lot of fanfare inviting people to apply for job opportunities because it was said that oil refining would restart, as promised by MFK during the 2021 election campaign. No fewer than 3000 people registered for jobs. The fact is, Oryx will not be starting the Cat Cracker unit and associated plants, nor will it start the main crude distiller, Crude Distiller 3 (CD3). There will be no processing of gasoline, gas oil, etc. This means that Curoil will have to continue importing petroleum products,” says MAN-PIN. 

Moreover, the party continues, Oryx has committed to investing 14 million dollars annually over a period of 5 years. “For those who are unaware, the cost to repair a single tank alone is around 8 million dollars, depending on its state of decay (due to deferred maintenance).” The party says that another crucial question that arises is whether the plants that Oryx will use for “blending” are in condition to meet Curaçao’s environmental requirements. “If this is not the case, will Oryx or RdK bear the costs to repair the tanks?” Finally, MAN-PIN hopes that the Pisas 2 Cabinet will at least provide Parliament with an "insight" into the contract that was signed, as requested by the MAN faction.