ExxonMobil’s “Liza Destiny,” the first oil production vessel that will be placed in Guyana’s waters, was yesterday officially dedicated by First Lady Sandra Granger at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore.
The “Liza Destiny,” which is the first of a number of Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, is expected to depart Singapore next month and arrive in Guyana in September to prepare for the start of oil production by the first quarter of 2020 under Exxon’s Liza Phase 1 project in the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana.
According to a Ministry of the Presidency press statement, Granger, who was accompanied by Director of the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe, told those in attendance at the dedication ceremony that the vessel has been aptly named, while later noting that it will encompass the destinies of the country and all its stakeholders. “I think it is a fitting name… because we are talking about destiny, we are talking long term and we are talking what I believe is vision not only for production but the process behind it. I hope this ship will bring to us the people of Guyana not only prosperity in a physical sense but greater cohesion, greater development and of course, the sustainability of our country and the culture that we all desire. I hope that we will succeed together in this venture,” she was quoted as saying.
Also speaking at the ceremony was President of ExxonMobil’s Upstream Oil and Gas Company Liam Mallon, who said the dedication of the vessel is a significant event and marks a new beginning for Guyana. “This is an important juncture and the boat has a great journey ahead of it. The work that has been done on this vessel is staggering. It is an absolutely remarkable achievement that this is ready to sail within less than five years of discovery to production. I personally haven’t seen numbers like this since the 1990s. You have set a new industry benchmark. This couldn’t have worked without partnership. This just doesn’t happen. It happens with great teams, enormous trust and enormous respect,” he was quoted as saying.
Mallon, the ministry said, also noted that the name of the vessel was deliberately chosen for its significance not just for the company but also for Guyana and its population.
“Over 1,000 Guyanese have worked on this project in various parts in the world. We think long term and we think about the destiny of a country like Guyana. This is the first of many developments. This is a long term partnership. The boat is designed to produce for decades and so our destinies have been and continue to be linked to Guyana for many years to come,” he said.
In its own statement, ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) explained that the naming ceremony marks the final stage for the “Liza Destiny” as it readies to set sail for Guyana next month. Final work items are being completed and a series of checks will be performed over the coming weeks, it added.
The “Liza Destiny,” the company said, was converted from an oil tanker, “Tina”, a VLCC
(Very Large Crude Carrier) built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The contract for its conversion was awarded to SBM in July 2017 and for the company, the completion is a moment of pride and honour as indicated by Chief Executive Officer, Bruno Chabas. “Our objective was to safely deliver the Liza Destiny FPSO on schedule in partnership with our client and safety always remained our number one priority on the project,” he said.
It was noted that “Liza Destiny” has a production capacity up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day and an overall storage volume of 1.6 million barrels. During normal operations, there will be at least 80 persons living and working onboard the vessel and 24 operations and maintenance technicians, who are currently being trained in Canada, are to return in 2020 to support work on board, the company further said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Presidency explained that Phase 2 of the Liza development is expected to start-up in mid-2022 and will develop approximately 600 million barrels of oil through the “Liza Unity,” the second FPSO in the series. The 13 discoveries on the block to date have established the potential for at least five FPSO vessels producing more than 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025.
Following the opening ceremony, the First Lady and the Director of the Department of Energy were taken on a guided tour of the vessel.
