WILLEMSTAD.- "As we all know, the Project Managment Organization recently visited Houston and also visited Holland, speaking with Port de Rotterdam, which is fully supporting the effort. Also with interested parties in London." Prime Minister, Eugene Rhuggenaath explained yesterday, during the first press conference entitled: "Consultation with the Prime Minister" and one of the topics was: 'latest developments around the Curaçao Refinery.'

Rhuggenaath explained that the Project Management Organization (PMO) is in charge of finding a strategic partner for Isla Refinery after 2019. According to Rhuggenaath, they reached out to more than 60 companies, and "now have nine companies that have already submitted information confirming their interest, but they also signed a "non-disclosure agreement" on the basis of which they exchange data with international companies and have started the first conversations, PMO will have more meetings with international companies, among others with companies in China that have a high interest in our Refinery.

Rhuggenaath explained that there was a variety of companies, including Refinery operators, also companies that are in the petroleum product business and companies that may in the future bring their crude to Curaçao to be refined and take the final product by paying a refinery commission.

"All this, we are busy analyzing it and I can say that the talks go very well, we already have commitments, that one or possibly two interested companies, in the coming weeks visit Curaçao to do more research and in this way these companies can specify their offers".