Curacao Chronicle

WILLEMSTAD
EnergiesNet.com 10 12 2022

September 28, 2022, marked a historic moment when the tugboats Manta and Ola plus the boat NC 6-L of Kompania di Tou Kòrsou (KTK) guided the vessel, Colon, at 16.00 PM, to moor at Jetty-1 at Bullenbaai. Colon carried a cargo of 600.000 barrels of fuel oil that will be stored at our terminal at Bullenbaai. The Bullenbaai terminal is normally equipped to store crude oil. However, during the past 4 weeks, Curaçao Refinery Utilities (CRU), worked diligently to make the terminal compliant with the high-security standards required and had also converted part of the terminal into a designated fuel storage area. CRU meanwhile rehired 20 ex-employees of Isla.  

The vessel Colon brought the first badge of the products for storage at Bullenbaai as part of the agreement between Curaçao Refinery Utilities (CRU), a subsidiary of Refineria di Kòrsou (RdK), and Caribbean Petroleum Refinery (CPR) which allows CPR to store products at the terminal at Bullenbaai. The storage agreement is independent of the long-term agreement that regards the management and operation of the refinery and Bullenbaai terminal, which RdK and CPR are currently negotiating. The agreement entails that CPR can store up to 7-million-barrels of products at the terminal. 

CRU and RdK have undertaken a great many preparations before starting the process to receive the products for storage at Bullenbaai again. The preparations concluded just in time for the arrival of Colon. The terminal can now harbor 2.4 million barrels of fuel oil, 4.1 million barrels of crude, and 350 thousand barrels of diesel. CPR will use the full capacity available.  Soon we can expect the arrival of more vessels at Bullenbaai. The increase in activities at Bullenbaai will contribute to supporting the tugboat business of KTK, which will be a vital service for the restart of the refinery.  

In the meantime, the negotiations continue with the solid aim of reaching a Heads of Agreement as soon as possible. 

Fuel oil to store

The Bullen Bay terminal is equipped to store crude oil. In recent weeks, Curaçao Refinery Utilities (CRU) has worked hard to ensure that the storage facility meets the required safety standards. Part of the terminal has been converted into a dedicated fuel storage facility. In addition, CRU has re-employed twenty former Isla employees.  

Caribbean Petroleum Refinery (CPR) can store up to seven million barrels of products in the terminal. The storage is part of the agreement between the subsidiary of Refineria di Kòrsou (RdK) and the intended operator. The agreement is separate from the multi-year agreement for the management and operation of the refinery and Bullen Bay terminal.  

In the meantime, negotiations continue with a view to reaching an agreement on the main features of the acquisition of the refinery as soon as possible

curacaochronicle.com 09 29 2022