A hundred metric tons of steel for ExxonMobil’s Hammerhead floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel has been fabricated in country, signaling another win for Guyana’s local content efforts.
The achievement, marked by a steel-cutting ceremony earlier today, was executed by Asequith Guyana Inc. and Asian Sealand Offshore & Marine (ASOM).
The Hammerhead FPSO is being constructed by MODEC for ExxonMobil’s seventh Guyana development. The components, meant to be used as structural safety handrails, will be shipped to Asia to be integrated on the topside modules of the FPSO.
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MODEC Guyana’s Country Manager, Rafael Fumis, shared that this is the company’s second significant steel fabrication venture with local entities.
“What makes this milestone truly meaningful is the impact, an impact beyond the fabrication,” Fumis explained.
He said the involvement of the local fabricators has translated into real opportunity, jobs created, skills strengthened and increased earning power for Guyanese workers. “That income extends well beyond the workplace, supporting households, uplifting communities and contributing to stronger economic resilience across the country,” Fumis remarked.
ExxonMobil Guyana’s Country Head Alistair Routledge said the work is also “about jobs and people and how we’re bringing training into the workforce and raising standards and keeping people safe, first and foremost.”
ASOM’s Administration Manager, Celeste De Santos shared that the company has invested heavily in the training and upskilling of Guyanese to make the feat possible. “We are committed to welcome welders, private caterers, personnel who can compete on any global stage, every Guyanese trained, every skill transferred and every job created, strengthening the foundation of ASOM’s local content ecosystem,” she added.
Asequith has been among the list of Guyanese fabricators working on several FPSO projects. Its Country Manager, Farzan Hosein, stated that Asequith’s portion was completed with “a 65% local workforce maintained, zero accidents, zero incidents, and zero downtime”.
Local Content Secretariat Director Michael Monroe commended MODEC’s approach, saying it demonstrates “its commitment to local content… by procuring goods and services from Guyanese certified companies,” with those opportunities allowing locals to build new skills.
Guyana’s Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, Keoma Griffith, said the ceremony reflects “progress, partnership and purpose,” noting that such work ensures “our people remain at the center of that development”.
Once operational, the FPSO will have the capacity to produce 150,000 barrels of oil per day and about 90 million cubic feet of gas per day. Slated to start in 2029, the development also includes a pipeline link to Guyana’s Gas-to-Energy system to deliver gas to shore.
Hammerhead will be the first project after Liza 1 to use a converted vessel instead of a newbuild FPSO. MODEC will provide ExxonMobil with 10 years of operations and maintenance services once Hammerhead reaches first oil, consistent with its role in the Uaru development.
