Guyana’s first oil production vessel, the Liza Destiny, has arrived in the Stabroek Block, a development in ExxonMobil’s preparation for first oil by 2020.
According to an ExxonMobil release, the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel travelled almost 11,000 nautical miles on a journey that lasted 42 days after a ceremony in June 2019 at which First Lady, Sandra Granger, was pronounced “Godmother” of the vessel.
After clearing customs, the vessel will be connected to the spread mooring before hookup and installation begins in preparation for production, storage and offloading of Guyana’s oil.
The Liza Destiny FPSO was converted from oil tanker, “Tina”, a 1999 Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC). The conversion included upgrading of the hull and integration of 14 topside processing modules, totaling 16 thousand metric tonnes.
Country Manager Rod Henson remarked, “It’s exciting to have another significant milestone completed as we continue on the road to first oil.” He added, “While we still have a great deal of work ahead of us, I’m extremely proud of our entire team, both onshore and offshore, and their focus on working safely and being protective of the environment in all that we do.”
This FPSO is a significant component of the Liza Phase 1 development which involves four undersea drill centres with 17 production wells. It 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, the release added.