Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has moved to clarify concerns surrounding the recent arrival of Venezuelan crude oil in Saint Lucia, stressing that the transactions are entirely commercial and do not involve the government in any operational or political capacity.
The clarification follows reports that Venezuelan crude has resurfaced at Caribbean storage hubs, with tankers openly delivering millions of barrels to Saint Lucia for the first time since 2018. According to those reports, more than 100 million barrels of crude oil were delivered earlier this month to the Cul De Sac refinery, drawing regional and international attention to Saint Lucia’s role in oil storage and transshipment.
Speaking on the matter, Pierre emphasized that the government has no involvement in the transactions. “These are purely commercial transactions. The government has absolutely nothing to do with it. I don’t know anything about it,” the Prime Minister said. He added that while critics may question the extent of his knowledge, the reality remains unchanged. “The fact is these are purely commercial—commercial solutions,” Pierre stated.
The Prime Minister explained that the operations fall under the control of private entities that own and manage the storage facilities. “Buckeye has the facility there. The oil comes out. I mean, the government is not aware of what oil comes and when,” he said.
Pierre noted that the government’s role is limited to regulation and the collection of applicable revenues. “The government does know that we have to get what is called the charges—the throughput charges—and that’s the government’s revenue in terms of who puts oil there. The government is not involved in that,” he explained. Reiterating the point, Pierre stressed: “The government is not involved in any of these transactions. We’re not involved.”
However, he acknowledged that the renewed activity underscores the need for a broader review of the existing legal framework governing the sector. “In fact, we have to be looking at the entire refinery act. We have to be looking at it and see what’s there,” the Prime Minister said, signaling that legislative and regulatory updates may be necessary as Saint Lucia’s storage facilities assume a more prominent role in regional oil logistics.
The development marks a notable shift in the Caribbean energy landscape, with Saint Lucia once again emerging as a key hub for crude oil storage and transshipment—even as government officials maintain that the activity remains firmly within the domain of private, commercial enterprise.
