In another significant boost for local content, three Guyanese companies will be providing fabrication services to support the construction of the Jaguar Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
These companies are: Industrial Fabrications Inc. (InFab); Guyana Oil and Gas Support Services Inc and ZECO Group of Services.
Over 300 tonnes of steel will be used to build the steel structures that form the backbone of the vessel. These structures include handrails, lighting fixtures, and cage ladders.
The companies were hired by Dutch shipbuilder SBM Offshore, the company responsible for constructing and installing the FPSO Jaguar.
A ‘steel striking’ ceremony was held on Tuesday at the Guyana Shorebase Incorporated (GYSBI), Houston, East Bank Demerara to mark the start of fabrication works on the vessel.
The Jaguar FPSO is designated for the Whiptail project, which is the sixth development project in the Stabroek Block being operated by ExxonMobil Guyana Limited and its partners.
Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, said that this achievement further underscores the government’s effort to ensure that Guyanese business continue to benefit from the ongoing developments in the oil and gas sector.
Recognising the unprecedented growth underway in the oil and gas sector, the minister reiterated that the government has been working to ensure compliance with the local content law through its Local Content Secretariat. This includes monitoring, evaluating, and engaging with companies.
“We are happy that the investment that is being made is beneficial to our country and our people, and at the same time, there is the standard that is acceptable worldwide by the oil and gas industry. So, we are very comfortable with that,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, General Manager of SBM Offshore, Martin Cheong pointed out that these companies also developed fabricated fixtures for the ONE GUYANA FPSO, a testament to not only SBM’s local content commitment, but the growing capacity of Guyanese businesses to compete in the budding sector.
“This ceremony also signifies the capability of our local fabricators to continue providing essential steel structures for the FPSOs, demonstrating their ability to reach and maintain international standards of fabrication,” he said.
President of ExxonMobil Guyana Ltd, Alistair Routledge, expressed similar sentiments, emphasising that this new milestone brings the total investment in Guyana to over US$55 billion.
“We could quite easily fabricate these components in China or Singapore, and some of these would have lower costs and easier to do. But that would not be in the spirit of the partnership with the country, and the intent of building the capacity and ensuring that the people in the country can truly benefit from the development of their natural resource,” he explained. [DPI]
