THE HAGUE – Members of the Dutch House of Representatives Sjoukje van Oosterhout and Mikal Tseggai, both from the GroenLinks-PvdA party, have submitted detailed questions to the Dutch Minister for Climate and Green Growth and the State Secretary for Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations about Venezuelan oil tankers stopping in Curaçao on their way to Rotterdam. The questions touch on maritime safety, international sanctions and the role of Curaçao’s ports in the oil trade.
The MPs are seeking clarification on reports that tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude oil have been transporting cargo via terminals in Bullenbaai, Curaçao, before heading to European markets. These transport links are part of larger movements of Venezuelan oil destined for refineries and buyers in Europe.
Among their inquiries, Van Oosterhout and Tseggai ask whether Bullenbaai once again plays a significant role in the international oil trade from Venezuela, and whether it is true that some vessels that discharged oil in Curaçao were sailing under false flags and had their mandatory transponders switched off, a suspected violation of international maritime regulations.
The MPs also reference the tanker Regina, which arrived in Bullenbaai on 14 January with Venezuelan crude. Local reports and expert commentary suggest that the ship may have been sailing under the flag of East Timor — a registration that East Timor itself later described as fraudulent when reported to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Van Oosterhout and Tseggai want to know whether the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as an IMO member, informed Curaçao authorities of this issue, and if not, why.
Further questions focus on whether the Regina and other oil tankers that have called at Curaçao ports are on the U.S. sanctions list and, if so, whether that constitutes a breach of international shipping law. Experts have warned that vessels on sanctions lists commonly disable tracking systems and misuse flags of convenience to evade detection, raising concerns about technical safety, insurance and environmental compliance.
The MPs also want to know what role the Kingdom’s government should play versus Curaçao’s autonomous authorities in deciding whether sanctioned vessels are allowed to call at Kingdom ports, as well as how these decisions should be coordinated with foreign relations responsibilities.
These parliamentary questions come amid wider debate in Dutch and Curaçaoan media about the legal and diplomatic implications of Venezuelan oil movements through Caribbean ports, including commentary that Dutch authorities may be deferring to autonomous Curaçao decisions despite potential Kingdom-level implications.
At this stage, no official response has been published by the ministries addressed, but the questions underline increased political scrutiny in The Hague over Curaçao’s role in the oil supply chain from Venezuela.
