Alistair Routledge, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, said the Hammerhead floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel hull has completed its first dry dock in China.
He provided the update during his presentation at the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo on February 18. Hammerhead is Exxon’s seventh Stabroek Block development.
Referencing slides from his presentation, Routledge said. “This is the hull as it completed its first dry dock just a couple of weeks ago in China. Already in early 2026, the FPSO hull is out of drydock and progressing forward.”
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Hammerhead will be the first project after Liza Phase 1 to use a converted vessel instead of a newbuild FPSO. A converted FPSO is created by retrofitting an existing vessel, such as an oil tanker, with production, processing and storage equipment. This was the case for the Liza Destiny, which was converted from the Bahamas-flagged Tina Very Large Crude Carrier. All other FPSOs operating offshore Guyana are new builds designed specifically for oil and gas operations.
Routledge said the visible progress of the hull reflects broader work underway for the project. “The execution machine is truly progressing effectively and efficiently for Guyana,” he added.
The FPSO is expected to be smaller and is seen as the most efficient way to develop the resource.
The Hammerhead FPSO, being built by MODEC, is slated to start operations in 2029. It is engineered to produce around 150,000 barrels of oil per day, while also processing associated gas and water. The development includes a pipeline link to Guyana’s Gas-to-Energy system to deliver gas to shore. The vessel will be stationed in about 1,025 meters of water, secured with a SOFEC spread mooring system.
Once Hammerhead achieves first oil, MODEC will deliver operations and maintenance services to ExxonMobil for a period of 10 years, mirroring the company’s role on the Uaru development.
Hammerhead was announced in August 2018 as the ninth discovery in the Stabroek Block. ExxonMobil had previously considered Hammerhead for its fourth development before advancing Yellowtail.
