WILLEMSTAD — The recent arrival of Venezuelan crude at Caribbean terminals under a U.S.-led export programme is putting Curaçao in a strategic spot to benefit from evolving global oil markets, opening opportunities beyond traditional regional trade and potentially expanding the island’s role in international energy logistics.
At the request of the United States, tankers carrying Venezuelan crude have begun docking in the Caribbean as part of a broader operation to move more than 50 million barrels of oil that Washington is helping market after longstanding trade disruptions.
Global commodity traders Vitol and Trafigura, which have secured special U.S. licences to trade Venezuelan crude, are actively marketing the oil to refiners not only in the U.S. but also in India and China for deliveries expected in March 2026. These developments point to Curaçao’s potential to serve as a key transshipment and storage hub in a broader global supply chain connecting Venezuelan producers with major Asian energy markets — moves that could unlock new revenue streams for the island.
Analysts say the revival of Venezuelan exports, stalled for years by sanctions and political tensions, is attracting renewed attention from global traders precisely because of its vast potential to change existing trade flows. Vitol and Trafigura’s efforts to sell Venezuelan oil at competitive discounts to refiners in Asia underscore interest from markets that once relied heavily on such crude before sanctions tightened.
For Curaçao, which already hosts significant oil storage and handling infrastructure at Bullenbaai, this shift may mean increased throughput, chartering activity and logistics contracts as barrels move through the Caribbean on their way to far-flung markets. These operations could spur demand for local port services, marine support, warehousing and associated industries, enhancing the island’s economic ecosystem.
Energy traders and industry sources also highlight that securing and moving these shipments requires sophisticated logistics networks — a capability that Curaçao’s ports are well-positioned to provide. As demand grows for flexible storage and redistribution points in the global oil trade, the island’s facilities could see heightened usage as part of multi-leg supply chains linking Venezuelan production to Asia and beyond.
While regional geopolitics — including U.S. policy and sanctions enforcement — remain a factor in how trade flows develop, current moves to integrate Venezuelan crude into international markets signal potential for Curaçao to tap new economic opportunities, diversify port revenue and deepen its integration into the global energy business. The coming months will be telling, as additional shipments and commercial agreements take shape.