SBM Offshore, builder and operator of the Liza Destiny FPSO has entered the first year of oil production offshore Guyana at the ExxonMobil-operated Stabroek block. The Liza Destiny FPSO is the first oil production vessel to be deployed to the South American country.
In a video published on its Facebook page, the company highlighted some of the key developments over the last year.
On June 22, 2019, the Liza Destiny FPSO, completed in just over 20 months, was commissioned during a naming ceremony in Singapore, with former First Lady, Sandra Granger being named the ‘Godmother’ of the vessel. Over 1,000 Guyanese worked on projects that allowed for the completion of the FPSO. It would then set sail from Singapore almost a month later, on July 18, arriving in Guyana on August 29 after its three-month journey. The FPSO was then installed at the Liza Phase One Development in the Stabroek block.
Almost four months later, on December 20, 2019, the FPSO propelled Guyana onto the world stage with production of the first barrel of oil making Liza Phase 1 one of the fastest production ramp-ups ever accomplished in the industry.
“The average time in water of this depth from discovery to first oil is nine years. This was done in five,” President of Upstream Oil and Gas at ExxonMobil, Liam Mallon said during a celebration of the occasion in January 2020. He attributed this to the many partnerships with Guyana’s stakeholders and the work of contractors such as SBM Offshore.
In January last year, the first million-barrel oil cargo was offloaded from the Liza Destiny FPSO onto the oil tanker MV Yannis P and sent to market.
While undertaking the operations of the FPSO at the Stabroek block, SBM Offshore continued to expand its activities in the country.
The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Guyanese-owned and operated Plympton Farms, located along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, and food services company Newrest Guyana, aimed at creating a reliable source of fresh fruits and vegetables for the crew of the Liza Destiny FPSO, and future vessels to come.
Chief Operating Officer at SBM Offshore, Phillipe Barril, in a comment said, “For SBM [Offshore], we’d like to contribute to a healthy diet for our offshore crew…It is a great opportunity to develop a sustainable presence in the country and to contribute to the local communities.”
In August 2020, 24 Guyanese trainee Operations and Maintenance technicians returned to Guyana after 18-months of training in Canada, for placement on the Liza Destiny FPSO.
SBM Offshore’s Country Manager, Herve Laurioux, said the hiring, training, and deployment of the young Guyanese was in keeping with the company’s commitment to expand its local workforce.
“SBM Offshore welcomes the new technicians to our team in Guyana. We are happy to see them join our Guyanese workforce, and proud to see them participate in our long-term commitment to the country,” he said.
The Dutch floater specialist is currently building two more FPSOs for deployment to Guyana for operations at the Liza Phase 2 and Payara Developments, targeting start-up in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
