WILLEMSTAD – 2BAYS is expanding into ship repair, ship-to-ship operations and vessel lay-up services as Curaçao shifts its strategy for the former refinery away from traditional oil production and toward a broader industrial service model.
The government's June 2026 Financial Management Report says a joint venture of local parties began ship-repair operations at Emmastad during the second quarter of this year, initially serving vessels of up to 400 tons.
The development provides a concrete example of the new activities being introduced as prospects for restarting the refinery remain limited.
According to the report, there is little interest in the Emmastad refinery itself. Interest from the oil industry is concentrated primarily on the Bullenbaai terminal, prompting 2BAYS to transition from anticipated production activities toward terminal, storage, logistics and other services.
In addition to ship repair, 2BAYS is already offering ship-to-ship transfer and lay-up services. The government says demand for these services is increasing.
2BAYS and CRU are also examining additional commercial opportunities through partnerships with specialized international and Curaçao-based companies.
The report does not provide revenue figures for these new activities or projections showing how much they could contribute to 2BAYS' finances.
That question is particularly important because the company is currently experiencing liquidity pressure related to the prolonged refinery-operator search, personnel costs and unpaid financial obligations involving Global and Curoil.
The shift nevertheless shows that the government and its companies are increasingly looking beyond the return of conventional refining and toward alternative ways of generating economic activity from the extensive industrial and maritime assets at Emmastad and Bullenbaai.