Above: the USVI

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The owners of the HOVENSA oil facility in St Croix have purchased and will take delivery of additional fuel for local distribution in the United States Virgin Islands, according to Governor John de Jongh.

The fate of the facility, once the Caribbean’s largest oil refinery before its shuttering in 2012, remains in limbo.

The Governor said the move “seemed an appropriate act of good faith for the company to increase its available fuel supplies at this time” as the territory’s legislature considers a revised sale agreement for the facility.

““I believe this is an act by HOVENSA’s owners to take away any anxiety that is being experienced by the community as they work with us and the senators,” de Jongh said. “I am optimistic that the concerns of the 30th Legislature set forth in their recent resolution will be addressed and allayed, and that the agreement which outlines the process by which the oil refinery on St Croix shall be marketed for sale will be approved so that this sales process can move forward.”

HOVENSA also long served as the territory’s primary provider of fuel.

De Jongh said he was informed that, with the recent purchases, there was now a “sufficient fuel supply” on the island to meet local demand through the rest of the calendar year.