Artificial island being built in Demerara River 80% complete – VESHI Director

– as MV Galileo departs following reclamation of 44 acres

With the completion of land reclamation on the artificial island being built in the Demerara River by Vreed-en-Hoop Shorebase Incorporated (VESHI) and the addition of 44 acres of land, the project is now approximately 80 per cent complete.
This was explained by VESHI Director Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer, in an interview with this publication. He further noted that the company will soon be evaluating the responses received to its Request for Information (RFI) from potential suppliers. The consortium has said it is looking to engage between 30 and 90 services.
“With the land reclamation completed, the only remaining pieces to do now are to put the electrical networking and light up the buildings. And there are some amounts of civil works remaining. Small amounts, because the land reclamation is a big part of the project,” Deygoo-Boyer explained.

“The first thing we did, we put out the first RFI and we put out this second RFI. Once we get those responses, we’re going to do some analysis and create a shortlist of providers. And then we’re going to go to the RFP stage. Because essentially, we have to have some of those services operational for December 15th,” he added.
Meanwhile, a statement from VESHI revealed that having completed its task of reclaiming 44 acres of land, MV Galileo Galilei has departed Guyana. The vessel, which is owned and operated by VESHI’s Joint Venture partner Jan De Nul Group, was deployed last year to the artificial island.

“The vessel’s key mission was the sand key reclamation phase of the project. During this phase, the dredger cleared the existing area and begin the process of adding reclaimed material for the creation of an artificial island on which the construction of the new terminal will be situated. During its deployment in Guyana, it helped maintain the channel and as it departs, it has added more than 44 acres to Guyana’s coastline,” VESHI explained in the statement.
It was further explained that VESHI has completed construction work on the 200-metre quay wall. They are now moving on to the fitting fenders and bollards, some excavation work in front of the quay wall, pavement, and other works. When it comes to its current search for service providers, VEHSI is actively seeking local companies not only for its shore base in Region Three but also additional services in Region Four.
Previously, the channel had a 5m depth at the lowest tide compared to 9m now. Further, the width of the channel was dredged to a whopping 100m, which will now accommodate two vessels – one coming out and one going in.
According to the project directors, the support and encouragement given by the Government of Guyana have been reassuring and augur well for additional investment and the future of Guyana. The project is expected to become operational in 2023, with the second phase set to commence in 2024.
In April 2022, ExxonMobil Guyana and VEHSI signed a 20-year agreement for shore base services to be provided at the port of Vreed-en-Hoop facility to support the US oil giant’s operations offshore Guyana. The sod was subsequently turned in June on the US$300 million facility.
VEHSI is a joint venture between a fully-owned Guyanese consortium – NRG Holdings Incorporated, and Jan De Nul Group, the Belgium-based company undertaking the project that specialises in offshore, marine, civil, environment, and project development.

The consortium includes Hadi’s World Inc, owned by businessmen Nazar “Shell” Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed; Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer and Eddie Boyer of National Hardware Guyana Limited; and Andron Alphonso of ZRN Investments Inc. NRG holds a majority stake of 85 per cent in VEHSI, while the remaining 15 per cent is owned by Jan De Nul – the company that is constructing the facility.
The multimillion-dollar port, when completed, will feature an offshore terminal; fabrication, umbilical and spooling yards; a dry dock facility; a wharf and berths, and administrative buildings, among other facilities spanning 65 hectares. (G-3)