Italian multinational oilfield services company Saipem on Saturday opened an offshore construction facility in Guyana after noting the need for fabrication services in the country’s booming oil industry. It has so far been granted three large-scale engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contracts for subsea, umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) by ExxonMobil’s local affiliate, Esso Exploration & Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), for the development of Liza Phases 1 and 2, and Payara.
Government officials and private sector dignitaries were given a tour of the facility at the opening ceremony.
Speaking at the event, Saipem Guyana Country Manager, Thuranthiran Nadarajah said the facility and its features are a representation of Saipem’s longstanding commitment to Guyana.
“It will significantly benefit the community of Guyana in many ways including hiring and developing local talent, overall improvement of infrastructure, creating jobs, generating revenue for third party services that directly service the yard…additional tax revenue for the country, restaurants, hotels and other indirect services.”
He commended GAICO Construction and General Services Inc., Saipem’s local construction partner, for its tremendous effort in supporting the development of the facility.
Also speaking at the event was Chief Executive Officer of Saipem America, Giorgio Martelli. The Saipem official in his address, articulated that the Italian based company is in Guyana for the long haul. He explained that Saipem tends to work under the radar but that it builds continuously. Fabrication is the aspect of the local industry for which Saipem has sought to increase its contribution, according to Martelli, because it requires a high level of skills the company can bring to the table.
In attendance were several Ministers of Government, principally Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who congratulated Saipem on its latest establishment, and Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat who encouraged investors to partner with locals.
