Vessel calls at the Georgetown harbour are set to increase exponentially with ExxonMobil Guyana’s planned 35-well drill campaign in the offshore Stabroek Block.
According to the Cumulative Environmental Assessment (CIA) it submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Exxon said more marine traffic will be present in the harbour, and coastal waters between Georgetown and the exploration area.
In December 2021, Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill had said that weekly calls at the Georgetown Port increased to 52, from just seven vessels before offshore operations started.
Guyana currently has two offshore projects online. This will double by the end of 2024.
Based on vessel traffic and schedules for current and planned projects, the CIA projected vessel traffic during the peak period in 2025 would be as high as 48 round trips weekly, or an average of seven round trips daily.
Exxon said heavy marine traffic is also expected along transit routes leading to Guyana’s capital.
The project will require the use of onshore facilities such as shorebases, laydown areas, pipe yards, fabrication/maintenance facilities, warehouses, fuel supply depots, heliport, and waste management facilities to support development drilling.
The exact location of the 35 wells is still being finalised.
Guyana to beef up port security as oil bounty drives up marine traffic
The location will be determined primarily by the results of prior seismic exploration campaigns, which have identified areas of interest within the Stabroek Block that may contain economically recoverable hydrocarbon resources. Appraisal wells may be included in the mix.
To mitigate any potential marine transportation impacts and minor impacts on the fishing industry, Exxon noted in the CIA that it will issue notices to Guyana’s Maritime Administration to update fishermen on the movement of major marine vessels.
These include floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSOs) vessels, drillships and installation vessels to avoid those areas.
The CIA also outlined that Exxon will be augmenting its stakeholder engagements to look for commercial cargo, commercial fishing, and subsistence fishing vessel operators who might not ordinarily receive mariner notices and communicate planned project activities to them so that they can also avoid the project area.
