The Liza Destiny FPSO, Guyana’s first oil production vessel, has racked up over 800 days with no recordable incident offshore the South American country where it has been producing oil for the past 24 months.
The vessel, built and operated by SBM Offshore, arrived in Guyana in August 2019 and began producing oil in December of that year at the ExxonMobil-operated Stabroek Block.
“We’re hopeful that the commendable safety record of over 800 days without a recordable incident on the Destiny will be echoed, if not surpassed on the Unity, and are confident that SBM will continue to keep safety at the core of operations in alignment with ExxonMobil’s own safety policies,” President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, told those gathered at an event last week to mark SBM Offshore’s 5-year anniversary in Guyana and opening of its new office in Georgetown.
Builder of Guyana FPSOs celebrates five years in new oil province
The massive oil production unit is spread moored 190 km offshore Guyana in water depths of 1,500 to 1,900 meters and will hold this position in the coming decades, as oil production at the Liza Phase 1 development progresses.
“For more than 60 years, we have been consistently focused on raising the bar of performance, delivering unrivaled technology, and creating tangible value,” Francesco Prazzo, SBM Offshore Country Manager in Guyana told the gathering.
He said in addition to the company’s capabilities, success in Guyana has also depended on embarking on the right partnering strategy.
“We believe that successful and inclusive initiatives must deeply involve local actors, both private and public, disseminate knowledge, and facilitate the development of clusters,” Prazzo said, pointing out that the company “walks the talk” and remains committed to making a difference in the new oil producing country.
By 2026, 4 FPSOs will deliver 50 million barrels of oil, US$4 billion annually to Guyana – Bharrat
Also speaking at the event, Øivind Tangen, Managing Director, SBM Operations, said the company has a fleet of 15 FPSOs around the world with another five in the making.
This includes the Prosperity FPSO being built for the Payara development in Guyana. The company has also been awarded contracts to perform Front End Engineering and Design for another Guyana FPSO, targeting oil production at the Yellowtail project. In October, the Liza Unity FPSO arrived in the country for phase 2 of the Liza development.
Tangen said globally, the SBM-operated FPSOs represent a fleet that produces “just short of 10 percent of the deepwater production in the world.” This, he said, is a responsibility the company takes very seriously.
