 Curaçao's proximity to the country, naturally deep harbors, and stable government led Royal Dutch Shell to construct the , the largest refinery in the world at the time.The refinery is located in the Schottegat, the natural harbour beyond Willemstad and began operating in 1918.Presently Venezuela's state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) operates the Isla refinery, which has a 320,000 barrel per day capacity .