Hess Oil and Chemical Corporation was a company that began in the 1930s by Leon Hess of New Jersey to distribute heating oil. It expanded over the years to include refining and marketing of heating oil and other petroleum products through terminals and gasoline stations. In 1968, Hess Oil and Chemical Corporation merged with Amerada Petroleum Corporation into Amerada Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES). Since 2006, the merged company has been called Hess Corporation. Before the merger, Hess Oil and Chemical developed the Hess Oil Virgin Islands Corporation (HOVIC) Refinery on St. Croix, united States Virgin Islands, at the time the largest oil refinery in the world. HOVIC is still operating under the name HOVENSA a joint venture with PDVSA and is 50% owned by Hess Corporation. HOVENSA announced plans to close later on in the year on January 18, 2012. Above is a picture of the original Hess Voyager Tanker Ship that was used to delivery the oil to the refineries.