Interesting research, Financial Compass! What actually is happening right now feels like colonization 2.0, while I was under the impression that we had left that era behind us.
What strikes me is that this discussion keeps framing Curaçao as a strategic asset for others, instead of asking what kind of economy we want for ourselves.
For over a century, we have been dependent on external powers: first Royal Dutch Shell, then PDVSA. The pattern is clear. The benefits flow outward, while the social and environmental costs stay with our people.
After 14 failed attempts to restart the refinery, it is no longer a matter of opportunity but of structural reality. Restarting it today is not forward-looking, it is repeating a model that has already proven unsustainable.
At GreenTown Curaçao, we are not against economic development. We are against continued dependency. The choice is simple: remain part of someone else’s system, or build a diversified, sustainable economy that we actually control.
Hi Orlando, I understand the perspective, though it is important to clarify that the article was not written as a statement of my personal preference. My aim was to map what is happening, and what has historically happened, on a strategic level around Curaçao.
Personally, I do not reduce Curaçao to an asset for others. But whether I see it that way is ultimately secondary. The reality is that states and capital blocs often do. Geography matters. An island close to Venezuela, with deep-water access and legacy refining infrastructure, naturally enters strategic calculations.
That is why I referenced actors such as China, Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, among others. They tend to assess locations through the lens of energy security, logistics, storage capacity, trade routes, and regional influence.
So the piece was not advocacy. It was analysis. Not what I think Curaçao should be, but how others may already be viewing it. Understanding that distinction matters, because small states do not gain leverage by ignoring strategic reality, but by recognizing it early. Thank you for sharing GreenTown Curacao, I will check it out!
I appreciate the distinction, and your analysis actually reinforces the concern we have been raising for years.
Curaçao has always entered global calculations because of its location and infrastructure. That is precisely why Royal Dutch Shell came, and later PDVSA. That pattern is not theoretical, it is historical. The point, however, is what we do with that awareness.
For small states, recognizing strategic interest without redefining your own economic model often leads to continued dependency. You don’t gain leverage simply by understanding the game, you gain it by changing your role in it.
The refinery discussion risks pulling Curaçao back into a system where external actors define the terms, while local society absorbs the costs.
GreenTown is not about ignoring strategic reality. It is about repositioning Curaçao within it, from a passive asset to an active economic actor.
I am writing from the US Virgin Islands where Hovensa used to operate the largest refinery in the western hemisphere. It shut down in 2011 after paying millions of dollars in penalties for violating the clean air act. It refined Venezuelan crude oil. There has been clean up activity in recent weeks. It seems like the EPA is getting less fussy about environmental concerns. Our government is in bad financial shape, our population is shrinking, and we are heavily dependent on federal money.
Interesting research, Financial Compass! What actually is happening right now feels like colonization 2.0, while I was under the impression that we had left that era behind us.
No.
And yes.
No that era isn’t gone, but the self loathing boomer nonsense has…
As for anything in the Caribbean the map decides.
What strikes me is that this discussion keeps framing Curaçao as a strategic asset for others, instead of asking what kind of economy we want for ourselves.
For over a century, we have been dependent on external powers: first Royal Dutch Shell, then PDVSA. The pattern is clear. The benefits flow outward, while the social and environmental costs stay with our people.
After 14 failed attempts to restart the refinery, it is no longer a matter of opportunity but of structural reality. Restarting it today is not forward-looking, it is repeating a model that has already proven unsustainable.
At GreenTown Curaçao, we are not against economic development. We are against continued dependency. The choice is simple: remain part of someone else’s system, or build a diversified, sustainable economy that we actually control.
https://greentown-curacao.com
Hi Orlando, I understand the perspective, though it is important to clarify that the article was not written as a statement of my personal preference. My aim was to map what is happening, and what has historically happened, on a strategic level around Curaçao.
Personally, I do not reduce Curaçao to an asset for others. But whether I see it that way is ultimately secondary. The reality is that states and capital blocs often do. Geography matters. An island close to Venezuela, with deep-water access and legacy refining infrastructure, naturally enters strategic calculations.
That is why I referenced actors such as China, Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, among others. They tend to assess locations through the lens of energy security, logistics, storage capacity, trade routes, and regional influence.
So the piece was not advocacy. It was analysis. Not what I think Curaçao should be, but how others may already be viewing it. Understanding that distinction matters, because small states do not gain leverage by ignoring strategic reality, but by recognizing it early. Thank you for sharing GreenTown Curacao, I will check it out!
I appreciate the distinction, and your analysis actually reinforces the concern we have been raising for years.
Curaçao has always entered global calculations because of its location and infrastructure. That is precisely why Royal Dutch Shell came, and later PDVSA. That pattern is not theoretical, it is historical. The point, however, is what we do with that awareness.
For small states, recognizing strategic interest without redefining your own economic model often leads to continued dependency. You don’t gain leverage simply by understanding the game, you gain it by changing your role in it.
The refinery discussion risks pulling Curaçao back into a system where external actors define the terms, while local society absorbs the costs.
GreenTown is not about ignoring strategic reality. It is about repositioning Curaçao within it, from a passive asset to an active economic actor.
Very Interesting!
I am writing from the US Virgin Islands where Hovensa used to operate the largest refinery in the western hemisphere. It shut down in 2011 after paying millions of dollars in penalties for violating the clean air act. It refined Venezuelan crude oil. There has been clean up activity in recent weeks. It seems like the EPA is getting less fussy about environmental concerns. Our government is in bad financial shape, our population is shrinking, and we are heavily dependent on federal money.
Thank you! Interesting. Do you have a link to the article? Would love to
read it.
Ongoing.....here's a few recent
https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/st-croix-refinery-resumes-removal-of-hazardous-substances/article_04a6140f-aba6-4fec-b70d-69a7db232a81.html
https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/epa-says-chemical-removal-could-resume-soon-at-st-croix-refinery/article_2f4197ca-87c9-42fa-8c1d-cdc1c3c127ed.html
https://stjohnsource.com/2025/12/23/refinerys-former-owners-accused-of-delaying-st-croix-oil-spray-lawsuit/
Still discovering interesting content daily such as yours. Very interesting read!
Thank you, I truly appreciate it!
What does Polymarket say ? 🤣
NVM they don’t pay.
😂
Great post
I appreciate it!
Very interesting article, Curacao could indeed become a focal point for the US to refine the Venezuelan heavy crude...
Insightful!