WILLEMSTAD - This week, an arbitration case between the Curaçao Refinery (RdK) and the Venezuela State company PdVSA will be dealt with behind closed doors. At stake is a claim by RdK against the former operator of the refinery.
The Venezuelan state company is accused of overdue maintenance and damage to the environment. Conversely, PdVSA also has a counterclaim. This counterclaim would also be 'substantial'. Production at the refinery was put on hold for a while due to problems with the BOO power plant, which supplied power, steam and water to the refinery. The claim has been filed and was heard this week in Switzerland in an arbitration case. The verdict is not expected for several months.
Both parties failed, despite attempts to reach a settlement. The Venezuelan state-owned company leased the Curaçao refinery from 1985 to the end of 2019.