WILLEMSTAD – A newly published geological study suggests that the waters south of Curaçao and Bonaire may contain significant untapped oil and natural gas potential, although further exploration is necessary before the presence of commercially recoverable deposits can be confirmed.
The report, published on October 29, 2026, by petroleum geologist Marcel P.T. Chin-A-Lien, examines the Bonaire Basin, a geological formation stretching between the ABC islands and the northern coast of Venezuela.
Titled "Two Clocks Beneath the Leeward Antilles," the study revisits decades of geological and seismic research to investigate whether the basin could contain petroleum deposits that previous exploration efforts failed to identify.
According to Chin-A-Lien, the basin may have experienced two separate periods of oil and gas generation over millions of years.
The first occurred approximately 28 million to 16 million years ago, when elevated underground temperatures helped transform organic material buried in sedimentary rocks into hydrocarbons.
A second period began approximately 10 million years ago and may still be continuing in deeply buried sections of the offshore basin.
The researcher argues that these geological processes could have allowed petroleum to accumulate in structures along the margins of the basin, including areas facing Curaçao and Bonaire.
The study identifies the southern and southeastern Curaçao–Bonaire margin as a particularly important area for future investigation.
This area could contain geological structures capable of trapping oil and gas migrating from deeper parts of the basin.
However, the report emphasizes that these possibilities remain interpretations based on existing geological information rather than confirmed discoveries.
Previous exploratory drilling in the wider ABC offshore region has not resulted in commercial discoveries. Chin-A-Lien argues that earlier wells may have targeted geological structures that were less favorable than the deeper basin margins.
The study also draws comparisons with petroleum-producing areas along Venezuela's Falcón coast and the Perla natural gas field.
These neighboring discoveries demonstrate that petroleum systems exist within the broader geological region, although they do not establish that similar accumulations are present offshore Curaçao.
The researcher concludes that modern seismic surveys and direct measurements of underground temperatures are necessary to determine whether the proposed petroleum systems exist.
The study does not announce an oil discovery, a confirmed reserve or an approved drilling project.
Its findings instead provide a geological framework for assessing whether future exploration in the waters surrounding Curaçao could be justified.