The arrival of the ONE GUYANA Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel marks a significant milestone for Guyana’s energy sector as ExxonMobil prepares to launch its fourth Stabroek Block development—Yellowtail.
The company expects the vessel to begin producing oil in the third quarter of this year. When it does, Guyana’s total daily oil output will reach 900,000 barrels daily, firmly positioning the country as a top global oil and gas producer.
But beyond production, the vessel’s arrival signals significant opportunities for Guyanese. ExxonMobil expects the Yellowtail project to create 1,300 jobs, and 100 to 140 employees will work directly on board the FPSO.
It also means an increase in revenue and royalty payments to Guyana.
Drilling and installation for the project began years ago and are nearing the end, setting the stage for the commencement of operations.
SBM Offshore built the ONE GUYANA FPSO, the fourth unit the company has built for ExxonMobil. It is based on SBM’s Fast4Ward® program and features a newbuild, multi-purpose floater hull. The vessel will be spread-moored using a 22-point anchor system at a water depth of approximately 1,800 metres.
Designed by SBM Offshore to handle complex offshore production requirements, ONE GUYANA can produce 250,000 barrels of oil daily and store up to two million barrels. Its gas treatment capacity is 450 million cubic feet daily, and its daily water injection capability is 300,000 barrels. The vessel can conduct oil separation, gas injection, produced water treatment, crude metering, and power generation operations, and has an optimized safety system and a flare tower.
Three local companies—ZECO, InFab and Guyana Oil & Gas Support Services Inc. (GOGSSI)— fabricated steel for the ONE GUYANA FPSO.
With the start of production nearing, job seekers are encouraged to look out for recruitment updates from ExxonMobil and its contractors. The company expects to continue to engage prospective vendors and suppliers. Apart from Requests for Information (RFIs) already issued, more contracting opportunities could emerge as project operations scale up.
Those opportunities could include operations and maintenance support, marine and offshore logistics, and more.
ExxonMobil Guyana Limited is the operator of the Stabroek Block while its coventurers Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Ltd. hold 30 percent interest, and 25 percent interest.
