Boasting success since its provision of onshore support services for ExxonMobil in 2017, Guyana Shore Base Inc (GYSBI) on Thursday announced a massive expansion, as it has increased its logistics support areas from 35 acres to 85 acres.
GYSBI is a consortium comprising Muneshwer’s Limited, TOTALTEC Oilfield Services, Pacific Rim Constructors, and LED Offshore. Its current Houston, East Bank Demerara 30-acre property, where operations began in 2017, was purchased from timber company Caribbean Resources Limited in 2014, for US$20 million.
“The GYSBI model of local companies teaming up with foreign ones who have the relevant experience, is a proven success with larger implications for Guyana,” GYSBI Country Manager, Robin Muneshwer said, during a PowerPoint presentation he made at a Houston, Texas Guyana Petroleum Summit (GPS) on Thursday.
While he did not go into the details of the cost of the acquisition of additional acreages for operations, Muneshwer pointed to photos that illustrated current works and the planned Phase 2 expansion, saying that it will “increase GYSBI’s usable area and wharfage by over 100%”.
The new development area is located on the eastern side of the East Bank Public Road, near the new Gafoors Complex.
An increase from a two to four-berth facility that will operate on a 24-hour basis at the Houston waterfront property, also forms part of the second phase of expansion.
With regards to the work of the group, the country manager said that each company brought its own strengths to the table, and they began work on schedule in 2018, and boasted that in the time since work began, “GYSBI has worked nearly two years with a 560,000 hours LTI (lost time for injury) free and counting”.
He said that the company has invested heavily in a training academy and in bringing foreign training and safety specialists for rigging, crane and forklift operations.
GYSBI has also worked on the development and implementation of a world class Health and Safety Executive programme to develop the necessary safety culture in Guyana.
Making clear that GYSBI is owned largely by locally-based Guyanese, Muneshwer said that the company is one of the leaders in providing “real local content” in the industry.
“Over 200 Guyanese staff and greater than 96% Guyanese work force. Significant resources have been spent to train and develop Guyanese at the GYSBI base. Key Guyanese subcontractors have been used in the US$50M development of the base. All the major oil field service companies have settled at or around the nucleus that is GYSBI and are all employing and training local Guyanese professionals,” he said.
The company’s provision of over 200 jobs for locals, ensured that millions of dollars “that would otherwise be lost to other countries are now here in Guyana,” Muneshwer said, even as he underscored that it is because of GYSBI that ExxonMobil can operate at a world-class shorebase in Guyana, in a safe and efficient manner.
Since ExxonMobil’s oil discoveries offshore Guyana, a number of global oil majors and oil support companies have established their presence here, with local offices and other facilities secured through leases or acquisitions.
TechnipFMC, the United Kingdom headquartered subsea project management company, in February broke ground for its proposed facility adjacent to GYBSI’s new development and currently has an office at Muneshwer’s current location .
The company emphasised its commitment to local content, as it informed that it has been training locals overseas for employment at its operations here. The facility will initially support the second phase of the Liza project, as well as future projects.
