As ExxonMobil prepares for first oil early next year, the first Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, Liza Destiny, is expected to set sail next month and will arrive in Guyana in September.
Exxon’s first FPSO vessel Liza Destiny docked in Singapore before making its way to Guyana
Before its departure from the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, the vessel was commissioned by First Lady Sandra Granger, who was accompanied by Director of the Energy Department, Dr Mark Bynoe.
The Liza Destiny was converted from an oil tanker, previously called Tina. Engineering and design began in December 2016 and work initiated in June 2017. During this time, over 3000 persons have worked on the vessel.
The First Lady recognised the importance of this project to Guyana by saying, “I hope this ship will bring to us, the people of Guyana, not only prosperity in a physical sense but greater cohesion, greater development and, of course, the sustainability of our country”.
Meanwhile, the company’s Upstream President, Liam Mallon, recognised the correlation between the name of the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, Liza Destiny, and ExxonMobil’s commitment to a long-term partnership.
“We are committed for a long voyage. We first signed an agreement to explore for hydrocarbons in the Stabroek block in 1999, we drilled the Liza well in May 2015, and this FPSO has been designed to produce oil for decades. It will provide value to Guyana and ExxonMobil for the long term. Our destinies, therefore, have been and will continue to be linked to Guyana in the future,” Mallon said.
Liza Phase One is a global project but more than 1000 Guyanese will be working on the project to complete four subsea drill centres with 17 wells. The ship is currently undergoing final checks before it departs next month for Guyana.
The vessel can produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day and has a storage capacity of 1.6 million barrels. A total of 24 operations and maintenance technicians, who are currently being trained in Canada, will return in 2020 to support work on the Liza Destiny.
The Noble Bob Douglas drillship is completing development drilling operations for Liza Phase One. ExxonMobil will add another exploration drillship, the Noble Don Taylor, in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Phase Two of the Liza development is expected to start-up in mid-2022 and will develop approximately 600 million barrels of oil through the Liza Unity, Exxon’s second FPSO vessel in the series.
For the Phase Two Development, six drill centres are planned, along with approximately 30 wells – 15 production, nine water injection and six gas injection wells.
The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 per cent interest.
