WILLEMSTAD - The question is whether the Isla refinery can continue escaping the sanctions of the United States of America against Venezuela.

Prime Minister Rhuggenaath cannot give that guarantee. He says that he cannot guarantee that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) will agree to the government’s request to make an exception for the refinery in Curaçao. The Premier announced this in a letter to the trade unions representing the oil refinery employees.

“This has to do with the fact that the situation in Venezuela, but also the relationship between Venezuela and the US, is very dynamic and the developments are outside our sphere of influence. As a government, we go to great lengths to prevent our country from becoming a victim of a geopolitical situation in the tense situation,” Rhuggenaath said in his letter.

Rhuggenaath says that in the context of the request to Ofac, RdK cooperates with a lawyer in Washington DC who specializes in the matter and has good contacts at Ofac. "This is a guarantee that our request will meet all of Ofac's requirements and that we have optimal contact with Ofac in Washington to explain our situation in detail," said the Prime Minister, who reminded the unions that RdK baseline for the request to Ofac was already sent to the trade unions on 22 August.

Previously, a request was honored by the United States and fuel could be refined for the local market. The contract with the current refinery operator, PdVSA, expires on 31 December.