On Friday Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman and members of the media were given a tour of the Muneshwer onshore facility; Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYBSI) located at Houston, Georgetown, Guyana.
GYBSI is a consortium of companies which includes Muneshwers Ltd., Pacific Rim Constructors, TotalTec Oilfield Services and LED Offshore.
Executive Director of Muneshwers, Robin Muneshwer, said the water-front facility was acquired in 2013 at a cost of US$20 million to expand their existing container shipping business. However, following the announcement of the discovery of commercial quantities of oil by ExxonMobil, the company pivoted to developing the area into a facility to cater to the oil and gas industry.
He said that the facility is expected to provide around 100 direct jobs and between 200-300 indirect jobs with supporting companies and partners.
He further explained that of the 100 persons that are required in the initial phase, 4-5 of those would be non-Guyanese, but each of those would have a contract for 3 years that stipulates that they train locals during that period.
Muneshwer said that a call for applications has thus far attracted more than 2,000 applications, with an average of 100 applications submitted daily.
“Our immediate need is to staff our front office… We’ve only hired 10 persons so far, but it’s going to ramp up quickly,” he stated.
Some of the positions which have been filled are in the IT, accounting and human resources departments.
Mr. Trotman said the facility is very impressive and raises the standard for facilities of this nature in Guyana. “We are pleased that the construction is being done 100% by Guyanese companies and that Guyanese will now be able to get jobs at the facility,” he indicated.
In addition to the initial US$20 million spent to acquire the facility, an additional US$10 million has been invested in ongoing works.
As Guyana moves closer to first oil in mid-2020, employment opportunities are beginning to open in the emerging oil and gas industry, providing much needed jobs for Guyanese.
Already, 12 Guyanese have secured jobs offshore on the Stena Drillship, conducting exploration work for US super-major, ExxonMobil.
