Why Are Giant Oil Rigs So Close to Curaçao’s Beaches? | UNTOLD

Why are two giant oil rigs sitting so close to Curaçao’s beaches? We filmed Noble Discoverer in Caracasbaai and Independencia 2 in Sint Michiel to find out what brings machines built for deep water this close to shore. 🇨🇼 From above Caracasbaai, you can see sailboats, turquoise shallows and the towering drill rig in a single shot. Noble Discoverer can operate in water roughly three kilometres deep. So what was it doing here? Its stop in Curaçao came between two offshore assignments: work off Colombia and a planned drilling campaign off Suriname. Further along the coast, Independencia 2 has its own history with the island. In this episode of Curaçao UNTOLD, we look at how these platforms float, how they hold position at sea, and why Curaçao’s sheltered bays bring offshore crews within sight of the beach. 📍 Filmed in Caracasbaai (Caracas Bay) and Sint Michiel, Curaçao, in November 2026. Have you seen either of these rigs from shore? Tell us where you spotted it. And if you’ve worked on one, we’d love to hear what daily life on board was like. 🌴 Explore the island with The Real Curaçao https://www.therealcuracao.com 🎬 Subscribe for more Curaçao UNTOLD documentaries and island guides https://www.youtube.com/@LifeResetCaribbean 📲 Follow The Real Curaçao Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealcuracaoofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelifereset TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therealcuracao Sources and further reading • Noble Corporation — Noble Discoverer specifications https://noblecorp.com/rig/noble-discoverer/ • OOS Energy — Independencia 2 specifications https://www.oosenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/INDEPENDENCIA-2-One-Page-Brochure-2025-03-24.pdf • Curaçao Ports Authority — Caracas Bay and Sint Michiel https://curports.com/our-ports/the-ports/caracas-bay/ https://curports.com/our-ports/the-ports/st-michiels-bay/ • Curaçao Chronicle — Noble Discoverer’s stop in Curaçao and its planned Suriname assignment, as reported on November 4, 2026 https://www.curacaochronicle.com/post/unknown/noble-discoverer-prepares-to-leave-curacao-for-major-offshore-drilling-campaign-in-suriname • TotalEnergies — GranMorgu offshore oil project in Suriname https://totalenergies.com/company/projects/oil/granmorgu-suriname-oil-project-line-totalenergies-transition-strategy #Curacao #OilRigs #OffshoreDrilling #NobleDiscoverer #CuracaoUntold #discover