When you think oil and the Caribbean you mostly envision glistening beach bodies slathered in the sweet-smelling tanning potions purveyed by the likes of Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic and others. Less known, however, is the region’s long association with the other, darker and infinitely more valuable oil – Texas T, Black Gold – so essential to our modern daily lives.
Some of the largest oil refineries in the world can be found on a collection of small islands throughout the Caribbean, most dating back to the 1940′s and 50′s. The advent of these refineries has, over the years, spawned a unique sub-culture of oil men and women (mostly men), attracted to the region from such disparate lands as the Middle East, Russia, South America, the U.S.