Oil and gas: US$16M expansion nearing completion at Guyana Shore Base

The Guyana Shore Base (GYSBI) is nearing completion of a US$16 million expansion project at its Houston, East Bank Demerara facilities.

The project, already months in and due for completing in October, will see the construction of two more berths for the mooring of vessels when they are not at sea.

Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, on Wednesday, toured the facilities to get an update on the project.

The new berths will accommodate heavy lifting in oil and gas, Indar said.

“Right now, heavy lifts have been done in Chaguaramas (Trinidad). And all of the services associated with those as well as transportation, crane services, logistics, brokerage…is done in Trinidad and then put on vessels and then it goes straight offshore.

“With this development now, it will come here in Guyana,” he stated.

The construction of the berths utilizes an open cell sheet pile design, patented by PND Engineers, Inc, a US consultancy engineering firm.

Even so, the Minister noted that construction is being completed by Guyanese.

“Local contractors are building it all, the local people are building in town, local people are monitoring it…the quality control and so forth,” Indar stated.

Meanwhile, GYSBI Director Robin Muneshwer explained that a further extension is planned, aimed at accommodating commercial vessels.

With the new berths, the company can extend their capacity to cater to four supply vessels simultaneously.