WILLEMSTAD – Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas plans to use his upcoming visit to the United Nations General Assembly to hold talks with both American and Venezuelan authorities as Curaçao pushes ahead with efforts to revive activity in its petroleum sector.
Pisas announced the planned discussions as Curaçao Refinery Utilities (CRU) received an environmental operating permit for activities at Bullenbaai. The permit was signed by Pisas, who is also responsible for petroleum industry and environmental affairs, and CRU representative David de Haseth.
According to Pisas, Curaçao intends to continue discussions with both sides following earlier contacts with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The objective is to create the conditions necessary for oil trade with neighboring Venezuela to resume and eventually generate employment in Curaçao’s petroleum industry.
The push comes amid major changes in U.S. sanctions rules governing Venezuela’s energy sector.
OFAC currently lists several Venezuela-related general licenses issued or amended in 2026, including authorizations covering certain activities involving Venezuelan-origin oil and petrochemical products and certain transactions involving Venezuela’s oil and gas sector.
Curaçao has already returned to the Venezuelan oil logistics chain on a limited basis. The Dutch government confirmed earlier this year that Venezuelan oil had been stored at Bullenbaai and stressed that decisions concerning the arrival and storage of oil fall under Curaçao’s autonomous responsibility rather than that of the Netherlands.
Bullenbaai’s existing terminal infrastructure and Curaçao’s proximity to Venezuela make the island potentially attractive for storage, transshipment and other petroleum activities.
Pisas has repeatedly argued that developments surrounding Venezuelan oil could create economic opportunities for Curaçao. Earlier this year, he said changes in the U.S. licensing framework could create possibilities for restoring petroleum infrastructure at Bullenbaai and potentially using existing facilities at Bullenbaai and Emmastad again.
However, restarting significant petroleum operations involves more than sanctions clearance. Curaçao must also meet environmental requirements.
The newly issued Bullenbaai permit comes alongside legislation intended to safeguard air quality. Pisas said environmental regulation strengthens Curaçao’s international credibility because companies considering doing business on the island can see that industrial development must take environmental protection into account.
Pédzi Girigori, head of the government’s Environmental and Nature Management organization, similarly argued that regulation does not mean rejecting industrial development, but allowing it under responsible conditions.
The upcoming talks with American and Venezuelan authorities could therefore become an important next step in Curaçao’s attempt to translate its existing petroleum infrastructure and strategic location into renewed economic activity.
For the government, the longer-term objective is clear: revive activity in a petroleum sector that once provided substantial employment and economic activity on the island, while operating within U.S. sanctions rules and Curaçao’s environmental framework.