ExxonMobil stood the expenses for Head of the Department of Energy Dr Mark Bynoe and First Lady Sandra Granger’s recent trip to Singapore for the commissioning of its Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the Liza Destiny.
“We certainly were pleased to host the First Lady and Dr. Bynoe as representatives of the Government of Guyana to participate in the historic occasion of the dedication of Guyana’s first oil production vessel,” Deedra Moe, ExxonMobil’s Director of Public and Government Affairs, told Stabroek News when contacted.
Observers have pointed to the perception of a conflict of interest in having the Head of the DOE and wife of the Minister of Petroleum accepting a trip sponsored by the oil major.
Efforts to contact Bynoe for comment proved futile as calls to his number went unanswered.
Government came in for scathing criticisms for its acceptance of sponsorship from the oil major back in 2017, when it was revealed that five ministers of government then – Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge – went on a paid trip to the company’s headquarters. It was then the second visit of its kind and occurred while government had accepted an $18 million signing bonus the year before but had said nothing, up to the time of the trip.
The signing bonus was paid to government in June of 2016 but there was no official acknowledgement of this by the David Granger administration until the information was leaked to the media in December of 2017.
Moe was asked if her company saw the sponsorship of the Singapore trip as an area of conflict of interest, given that Mrs Granger is the wife of the president, who is also the Minister of Petroleum.
She replied, “Traditionally, the ‘Godmother’ of a vessel, particularly in countries new to the industry, is a high-ranking female representative of the Government, such as a First Lady. Given that and her role as First Lady of Guyana, we felt it entirely appropriate and fitting to have Her Excellency Madam Sandra Granger [as] the ‘Godmother’ of the Liza Destiny.”
Bynoe and Mrs Granger flew to Singapore last week for the dedication of the company’s first FPSO.
The “Liza Destiny,” which is the first of a number of 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, Mrs Granger 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.