Dutch floater specialist SBM Offshore said on Monday it stands ready to play a key role in making a contribution towards the South American country of Guyana becoming a significant oil producer as it generates value for ExxonMobil in the operation of the country’s first floating oil complex.
“FPSO Liza Destiny has produced first oil as of December 20, 2019 and is formally on hire,” the company said.
“We are proud of FPSO Liza Destiny reaching first oil for our client and the people of Guyana. The vessel is producing the first oil in Guyana’s history. Our teams have done an excellent job by completing the project well in line with our client’s schedule,” commented Bruno Chabas, CEO of SBM Offshore.
He said the delivery time from the engineering study phase to first oil – three years – is impressive and a clear testimony of the company’s capabilities and industry leading experience. “We are looking forward to further generating value for our client ExxonMobil and in particular with respect to making a contribution towards Guyana becoming a significant oil producing country.”
This massive floating unit is now spread moored 190 km offshore Guyana at the Stabroek Block in water depths of 1,500 to 1,900 meters and will hold this position for the next several decades, as oil production at the Liza Phase 1 development progresses.
“We are delighted to be taking the Liza Destiny into the next phase of its journey. We remain highly focused on diligently moving through the final steps, with HSE remaining a first priority. This milestone also marks the formal hand over of the project to our Operations organization in Guyana, an organization that is supported by our global organization. Together we shall ensure a responsible operatorship and continuously strive for operational excellence in all our activities,” Oivind Tangen, Managing Director of Operations at SBM Offshore, stated.
The company recently said it remains committed to building the capacity of its Guyanese workforce as part of plans to become fully integrated in the South American country.
“Our percentage of Guyanese will grow going into 2020. Then, we will start a graduate programme early in the new year so we will hire graduate engineers with less than two years’ experience and we will train them globally and, hopefully one day, they can come back to Guyana to be future leaders,” Michiel Heuven, SBM Offshore’s Regional Head of Operations for North America and the Caribbean said at the recently concluded Guyana International Petroleum Exhibition (GIPEX) at which the company was a Gold Sponsor.
ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45 percent interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 percent interest.
