Guyana Shore Base (GYSBI), a Guyanese-owned port company that serves as a crucial conduit between ExxonMobil’s operations offshore and the supplies on shore, is close to completing the US$16 million expansion of its facilities.
This was revealed during a tour of its Houston, East Bank Demerara (EBD) facilities by Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar.
Indar explained that the Government has issued over a dozen permits for GYSBI to conduct its construction activities, and those permits have been put to good use.
He noted that the expansion, which would see GYSBI building two additional berths to moor vessels coming in from the open ocean, would be completed in October, and that the berths were constructed with full local content being realised.
“Next door at GYSBI is a US$16 million project, of which I’ve clarified from the developers that most of (the works went) to local contractors, sand providers, transportation people. Local people are getting that.
“Berth one and berth two, which are constructed here, berths three and four are the new ones. Those will generate, post construction, 144 full time workers. So that is work for Guyanese people.
“Local people are building it. Local people are monitoring the quality control of that construction project. I’m pleased with the development I’m seeing here. I understand that, by the end of October, that project will finish. Which will allow Guyana to do heavy lifts.
Heavy lifting, which requires heavy duty equipment capable of lifting and installing thousands of tons of equipment onto drilling and oil production facilities, presents a number of logistical challenges. Indar is of the view that Guyana would now be able to provide these services.
“As you know, heavy lifts are done in Trinidad. And all the services associated with those heavy lifts, whether it’s transportation, crane services, logistics or brokerage, all of that is done in Trinidad, and then put on vessels and go offshore.”
The Minister encouraged the investor to continue with the project. He noted that in the construction, certain technology, known as open cell, is being used. According to him, this type of technology is very advanced.
Another observation the Minister made was that, had the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government gone ahead with plans to construct the new Demerara River Bridge from Houston to Versailles, West Bank of Demerara (WBD), GYSBI would not have been able to expand the way they have.
“I’m standing at the edge of the work here, and, further south, the bridge under the previous Government was supposed to go (this way). That is no longer the case. The alignment isn’t here. The alignment is between La Grange and Nandy Park.
That means the impediment that was placed on development here is no longer here anymore. That doesn’t exist, so development can continue to expand in this part of the river bank,” he said.
GYSBI is a majority Guyanese owned company with its operations located in Muneshwer’s Houston port. It was contracted by oil giant ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), to provide shore base services back in 2017.
Exxon is, so far, the sole oil producing company in Guyana. Guyana, with oil giant ExxonMobil as operator, only began producing oil on December 20, 2019 in the Stabroek block, lifting its first million barrels of profit oil from the Liza-1 well in February 2020. Oil tanker Cap Phillippe transported this lift from the Liza Destiny Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, allowing Guyana to receive its first payment the next month.
