A Guyanese team has completed high-pressure process piping fabrication for the Liza Unity FPSO with zero harm, zero weld defects and zero repairs required.
The achievement was announced at a ceremony in Guyana to mark the completion of the Water Injection Riser Depressurization project. The work was done by Friedlander Guyana, in partnership with SBM Offshore and ExxonMobil Guyana.
The project involved pipe fabrication, qualification, testing, blasting and coating for offshore installation on the floating production, storage and offloading vessel.
Dr. Carla Crawford, Director and Co-Owner of Friedlander Guyana, said the project showed that specialized offshore fabrication can be done locally.
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“Not only has this project been completed, it has been delivered with zero weld defects and zero repairs required,” Crawford said.
She said the work was carried out by Guyanese teams across several stages, including cutting, fitting, welding, testing and painting.
“This is more than a performance, it is a statement, a statement about quality, a statement about capability, and above all, a statement about people,” Crawford added.
She said Guyanese welders were trained, qualified and certified to international standards. Three welders also achieved ABS certification.
Martin Cheong, General Manager of SBM Offshore Guyana, said the work marked a first for the country. He said the achievement reflected collaboration among SBM Offshore, ExxonMobil Guyana and Friedlander Guyana.
“The fact that this work was completed in Guyana with zero weld defects and zero repairs required is an exceptional accomplishment,” Cheong said.
Huzefa Ali, Production Manager at ExxonMobil Guyana, shared that the piping will be installed on the Liza Unity FPSO to support the water injection system.
“This is the first time that an FPSO pipe fabrication has been completed in Guyana by Guyanese for the Guyana energy sector,” Ali said.
The pipes were tested above operating requirements and coated to withstand offshore conditions.
“This achievement represents not only technical expertise, but the emergence of strong industrial capability,” Ali said.
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Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat in his feature address noted that the project reflects the intent of Guyana’s local content framework.
“This is for developing industries, this is for developing our manufacturing capabilities, this is to ensure our people, Guyanese, young Guyanese, are trained, certified, and qualified to work in the oil and gas sector,” Bharrat said.
He said the work could have been done outside Guyana, but was completed locally because of growing capacity in the country.
The piping fabricated under the project will be installed on the Liza Unity FPSO, the second production vessel to start operating in ExxonMobil Guyana’s Stabroek Block. The SBM Offshore-built vessel started production in February 2022 and now has an optimized oil production capacity of about 270,000 barrels per day (b/d). It forms part of Guyana’s rapidly expanding offshore industry, which currently produces oil at more than 900,000 b/d from four FPSOs operating in the Stabroek Block.
