The MADAM KALINA and A’RINRA are the newest editions to Edison Chouest Offshore’s (G-Boat) local fleet. Now, the company has a total of 22 vessels operating in Guyana’s offshore Stabroek Block.
The total Guyanese staff complement has ballooned to over 400.
Both vessels sport names that tell the story of Guyana’s rich heritage and were handpicked from selections made by local schools in Guyana. Raymond De Cambra from St. Ignatius Secondary School and Kaylan Duncan from Brickdam Secondary School emerged the winners.
Edison Chouest’s Business Development Officer, Daniel Lafont took OilNOW on a tour of the MADAM KALINA (Kaylan’s pick) on Thursday and explained that the name was derived from the Carib tribe – one of the nine Ameridian tribes in Guyana.
“The Amerindians were the first to touch Guyana’s shores and lived along the rivers and coasts of Guyana and naming the tugboat MADAM KALINA brings awareness to the tribe’s existence and contributions to the nation,” he explained.
The vessel will soon be deployed to the Stabroek Block and is meant to support activities at Guyana’s third production vessel – the Prosperity. The vessel is slated for arrival soon.
The vessel will be operated by Captain John Template who explained to OilNOW that it will handle escort and heading control ops. for the Prosperity floater.
“Shutttle tankers will make their way in and as the tankers make their way in, we will do the escort operations, making sure they do not collide with anything, and home them in position so it connects to the vessel,” he said.
The other vessel – A’RINRA – is already out in the Stabroek Block supporting operations. La Font explained that it is the Macushi word for ‘electric eel’. Chosen by Raymond, it is believed that this eel can withstand any storm or weather to get to its destination.
