The ONE GUYANA floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel now stands as a symbol of both engineering excellence and national progress; at its heart are Guyanese engineers who helped bring the massive vessel to life.
Reedel James, Umbilical Interfaces Engineer on the Yellowtail project, now works out of Houston, Texas. His role focused on the complex subsea systems that connect the FPSO to the wells below. “We have the capabilities to have Guyanese engineers being employed meaningfully to contribute to building the industry where there isn’t a shortage of opportunities,” James said. “I see us growing, not just as an industry, but as a people.”
For Kenny Bissoon, Commissioning Engineer on the ONE GUYANA, the project was a chance to apply his skills in instrumentation and controls to a facility of unprecedented scale. “Working on an FPSO of this magnitude over several years was a really good opportunity to grow technically,” he said. “In major projects, you have the ability to learn from others, and also to share experiences.”
Stacy Caesar, Subsea Control Software and Commissioning Project Engineer at ExxonMobil’s Houston campus, reflected on what it meant to be part of the decision-making process. “I actually get to work on the project team where decisions are being made,” she said. “Working with this international team of different experiences to come together and build this marvel of engineering was incredible.”
In Guyana, Arif Hamid, Topside Execution Engineer for Yellowtail, joined the oil industry even before completing his thesis. At the time, the University of Guyana had only just introduced its petroleum engineering programme. “It was new to the country, even the university,” he recalled. “To be a part of something like this that will transform our country is a hugely satisfying thing.”
Shaqueem Lam, Yellowtail Instrumentation and Controls Engineer, described the moment when theory became reality. “Seeing what I’ve learned in the classroom transform into a mega structure like the ONE GUYANA FPSO is nothing short of incredible,” he said.
Alistair Routledge, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, said the passion of these engineers is shaping the industry’s future. “I’m always so impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of our Guyanese engineers,” he said. “I would like people to look back and say that ExxonMobil invested in the people as much as in the development resource. That’ll be the sustainable difference in the future.”
