The Saipem FDS2 vessel is engaged in installation activities offshore Guyana, in support of ExxonMobil’s massive Yellowtail development project, according to an update from Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department.
The vessel is expected to operate through 2024 in anticipation of production startup in 2025.
Exxon had awarded the contract to Saipem in early 2022 for the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of the subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF) for the US$10 billion Yellowtail project.
The project is targeting oil production at the Yellowtail and Redtail oil fields, which hold a combined resource of 925 million oil-equivalent barrels. The project is expected to target production at 250,000 barrels per day (b/d), the highest initial production for any project offshore Guyana yet, with the ONE GUYANA floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.
ExxonMobil is the operator of the Stabroek Block, where three projects are already operational, with combined oil production over 600,000 b/d. Hess and CNOOC are its co-venturers.
