…secondary school students name vessels
Aiming to advance the country’s emerging oil and gas sector, G-Boats Guyana – a Joint Venture company – on Wednesday launched two new tug boats at the John Fernandes Wharf in Georgetown.
G-Boats is an oil and gas offshore support terminal, born from a joint venture between Guyanese-owned John Fernandes Limited and US-based Edison Chouest Offshore.
The two new tugboats christened will bear the names A’rinra and Madame Kalina. The names were submitted by a Grade 11 student of St. Ignatius Secondary School, Raymond De Cambra, and a Grade 11 student of the Brickdam Secondary School, Kaylan Duncan respectively who entered into a competition to name the boats that was launched in March 2022.
Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, during the launch, said she is very pleased that schools were involved in the naming process that allowed Raymond and Kaylan to represent Guyana and leave a mark on the new vessels.
She said that it is also significant to recognize that Raymond attends school in one of Guyana’s hinterland regions while Kaylan attends school in Georgetown. According to Manickchand, her Ministry is in the process of bringing Universal Secondary Education in Guyana which is a monumental task to ensure every single child across this country has access to high-quality secondary education.
Moreover, the Education Minister noted that with Guyana’s current stock of natural
resources and its human resource together with good leadership, it has the right
credentials as a nation to move forward and ensure the country advances for
everyone’s benefit. Minister Manickchand was also named ‘God Mother’ of the two
new vessels.
Meanwhile, Ross Chouest of G-Boats Guyana said that Wednesday’s christening ceremony celebrates the remarkable achievement of two exceptional individuals who have made their
schools and communities proud.
He said that Raymond and Kaylan used their ability to think beyond the ordinary and
envisaged names that embody the essence of Guyana. He said that it was through
their imaginative minds and creative spirits that the perfect names will forever grace
the vessels.
He said, “A ship’s name reflects its character, purpose, and values it represents.”
President of Exxon Mobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, explained that the new boats will be
operating 100 miles offshore of Guyana to support the essential work that takes place
to deliver the development of Guyana’s natural resources.
He said that Exxon Mobil is honoured to be in Guyana to develop the oil and gas
resources. According to Routledge, the new tugboats symbolize the development of
the oil and gas industry and its necessary partnerships.
The name A’rinra is a Macushi word for an electric eel. It is believed that the eel can
withstand any storm or weather to get to its destination while the second name
Madam Kalina was derived from the Carib tribe. The name was chosen to name one
of the tugboats as it brings awareness to the tribe’s existence and contributions to the
nation.
The winning schools were rewarded with a donation of US$1000 for the winning
submissions. The prizes were handed over at the Brickdam Secondary School on
June 28, 2022, and at the St. Ignatius Secondary School on June 29, 2022.
