ExxonMobil Guyana inks 5-year maritime support deal with French offshore operator 

ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) has signed a major five-year contract with French offshore operator Bourbon to provide maritime services as the United States-based oil giant expands operations in the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana.
This new deal, which contains extension options, was announced by Bourbon in a statement on Wednesday.

Back in April 2023, Bourbon Marine & Logistics partnered with Guyanese company Tethys Marine & Logistics to establish Bourbon Guyana Joint Venture, becoming the first indigenous offshore support vessel operator.
According to the French company, this new maritime support deal with EMGL will commence in the first quarter of 2026 and will see the deployment of its platform supply vessel (PSV), Bourbon Calm, to transport products essential to offshore operations in one of the world’s most dynamic oil basins.
Bourbon said this contract with EMGL marks a major step forward for the Guyanese oil sector, as it allows the transport of chemicals in Guyana by a PSV for the first time in compliance with the OSV Chemical Code.
It added that adjustments and upgrades have been made on board the vessel in a targeted manner, including modifications to the pumping systems, enhanced tank cleaning and strengthened operational procedures, after validation by the maritime authorities and DNV classification society.
The solution proposed by Bourbon is both competitive and sustainable and immediately operational, thus consolidating the group’s position in the Guyanese oil and gas market. Bourbon Calm thus becomes one of the few offshore vessels in the world authorised to carry out this type of operation.
“This new contract illustrates ExxonMobil Guyana’s confidence in Bourbon’s ability to offer safe, innovative, and economically efficient maritime solutions that comply with the highest regulatory standards,” Chief Commercial Officer of Bourbon, Karim Mebarek, said.
He added, “Thanks to its high-quality design and above-average liquid storage capacity, the Bourbon Calm meets high technical and environmental standards while ensuring optimal operational safety.”
Bourbon said the discovery of oil fields in 2015 has made Guyana one of the fastest-growing offshore operations, with the planned commissioning of additional FPSOs (floating production, storage, and offloading units).
Since 2019, Bourbon, through its local subsidiary, has been supporting the development of this industry thanks to the technical quality of its fleet and the expertise of its local teams.
With a fleet of six vessels (large PSV, AHTS & tugs) and the full range of marine services, Bourbon Guyana has been successfully supporting ExxonMobil Guyana and Saipem Guyana for the development of the Stabroek field, promoting local employment with more than 70 Guyanese seafarers onboard its vessels.
The five-year deal with EMGL comes months after Bourbon won another five-year contract with the US-based ExsxonMobil in Angola.
ExxonMobil Guyana Limited is the operator and holds a 45 per cent interest in the oil-rich Stabroek block, offshore Guyana, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds a 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.
The co-venturers are currently operating four projects offshore – Liza Phase 1, Liza Phase 2, Payara and Yellowtail.
In fact, only last month, they reported the achievement of a new production milestone of 900,000 barrels of oil daily. This comes just a few months after the successful start-up of Guyana’s fourth offshore project, which has now achieved its initial annual average production capacity of 250,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd).
The Stabroek co-venturers have committed more than US$60 billion to develop seven government-sanctioned projects on Guyana’s offshore Stabroek block, including Uaru, Whiptail, and Hammerhead.
The Uaru and Whiptail projects, Guyana’s fifth and sixth projects, are each expected to produce approximately 250,000 bpd when operations commence in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
Hammerhead, the seventh project, is expected to add approximately 150,000 bpd, with production slated to begin in 2029. Additionally, the eighth project, Longtail, is currently undergoing regulatory reviews, and once approved, will take the total production capacity up to 1.7 million bpd from the eight developments offshore Guyana.