In a bid to ensure opportunities are provided to locals, three Guyanese fabricators will be producing the fixtures for the Jaguar floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO).
A steel strike ceremony was held at Guyana Shorebase Incorporated (GYSBI), Houston, East Bank Demerara on Tuesday to mark the start of fabrication of the structures and the topsides modules of the vessel.
The three local fabrication companies are InFab, Zeco Group of Services and Guyana Oil and Gas Support Services Incorporated.
Highlighting the importance of local content, was ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge who said as the industry continues to develop, it is vital that emphasis is being paced on investing in the people and businesses of Guyana.
The investment of the Jaguar FPSO, he said, brings the total investment in Guyana to over US$55 billion.
“In so doing we are providing opportunities but it doesn’t come easily.
“We can quite easily fabricate these components, these elements of these FPSOs in China or in Singapore, somewhere there would be lower cost and easier to do but that would not be in the spirit of the partnership of the country and the intent of building the capacity and ensuring that the people in the country can benefit from the development of their natural resources,” Routledge noted.
The Jaguar FPSO is Guyana’s sixth oil platform and the latest under construction by SBM Offshore in partnership with the operator of the prolific Stabroek Block, ExxonMobil Guyana.
It will initially produce 250,000 barrels daily, pushing Guyana’s total oil production beyond 1.3 million barrel daily.
The Jaguar FPSO will be at the Whiptail development.
In his remarks, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat applauded the local fabricators for taking the risk and investing in a new sector. For him, it is noteworthy that the companies are able to execute their duties in a manner that is acceptable up to international standards.
According to Bharrat, the growth in the oil and gas sector is unprecedented.
And with opportunities being provided to locals, Bharrat urged local companies to ensure that there is compliance with the local content law.
“Many companies across all sectors have benefited tremendously and that is exactly what the government has been working to achieve through our local content law,” he said.
Meanwhile, SBM Offshore’s General Manager, Martin Cheong highlighted his company’s commitment to continue to building local content and ensuring that Guyanese and position to play a critical role in the growing oil and gas sector.
“Today’s steel strike ceremony is a direct reflection of SBM Offshore’s commitment to our local content objectives as we continue to work with Guyanese companies to ensure their inclusion and benefit for the industry.
“We also continue to employ Guyanese to provide critical support for the vessels,” Cheong said.
InFab Managing Director, Jerry ‘Max’ Gouveia said the company is deeply committed to contributing to the country’s evolving energy sector.
He said INFABs role goes “far beyond” just a vessel.
“The work we are undertaking today is an integral part of Guyana’s broader economic development, particularly the energy sector and its signals the country’s growing capacity to support and sustain a striving economy,” he said.
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