Just under six years since its first oil discovery and around 16 months since production began, shore base capabilities in Guyana to service the offshore operations are rapidly growing resulting in an increasing number of projects being moved from Trinidad and Tobago to the South American country.
The Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI), which is the main facility servicing the country’s deepwater operations, is constructing two additional berths to the value of US$16 million that will allow for heavy lifting services to be executed at the facility. This will play a significant role in boosting the capabilities of the shore base, which is the main service provider for ExxonMobil’s offshore operations.
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“So, the heavy lifts will be done in Guyana. These heavy lifts are currently being done in Trinidad,” Deodat Indar, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works told OilNOW on Wednesday following a field visit to the facility. “By them being done in Guyana it also will bring a whole range of additional services to the country, including logistics, transportation and all of the associated services concerning heavy lifts that are normally done in Trinidad.”
Indar said the expected timeline for completion of the project is October this year. He pointed out that it will also allow for an uptick in employment opportunities for Guyanese.
“They (GYSBI) said that right now they are using a local contractor…and this is critical. So, the design is done by some expats, but the construction of the base is done by locals,” he stated.
Guyanese already comprise 95 percent of the staff at GYSBI and companies from the South American country now make up 80 percent of the operation’s supplier base. GYSBI has also developed a range of facilities catering for the industry. These include pipe and inventory management; construction; waste management; climate-controlled warehousing; water treatment; fuel storage and delivery; dry cement storage and liquid drilling mud delivery. Services include local manpower; customs and brokerage; licensing and permitting; pipe preparation and repairs; husbandry; inventory management; ships agency and logistics.
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GYSBI General Manager Sean Hill has said that some of these facilities and services are provided in-house while a significant portion is outsourced. This, he said, results in tremendous opportunities for local companies as well as citizens.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work with onboarding local suppliers ever since we started operations,” he stated, adding, “Guyana Shore Base didn’t have the infrastructure in place when we first started operations. We do spend a tremendous amount of time and effort with a lot of our local suppliers when they are successful, coming on board, making sure that they understand the standards and expectations of the oil and gas industry. That is around quality and a lot of it is around safety as well.”
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Just recently, GYSBI received a large delivery of subsea trees for the Liza Phase 2 Development, as part of a series of activities aimed at shifting these and other services to Guyana. “All subsea activities are being transferred to GYSBI, and we are transitioning away from Trinidad,” Hill told OilNOW.
