Offshore Technology Conference 2025: Govt seeking investments to improve local maritime, logistics services

…eyes Deep Water Port project investment, ship building capabilities

Recognising that Guyana’s maritime sector is significantly underdeveloped, the Government is currently working to secure investments that will significantly bolster the country’s maritime and logistics services.
This was revealed by Senior Director of Investment at the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), John Edghill, last Friday, during the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) press conference.

The OTC is a series of conferences and exhibitions, focused on exchanging technical knowledge relevant to the development of offshore energy resources, primarily oil and natural gas. With the highly anticipated event just some three months away, stakeholders are currently engaging in consultations regarding key areas in which they are working to secure investments and business opportunities.
One key area highlighted was the country’s maritime sector. On this point, Edghill highlighted that the Berbice deep water port is a key project that will enhance Guyana’s maritime and logistics services. In this regard he highlighted that the Government is working aggressively to attract possible investors for the much-needed project.
“That has been an announcement of the Government of Guyana through the president that we need to build a deep-water port in Berbice… So, what we will do as we do all the time is to notify persons of these opportunities. There hasn’t been a published Request for Proposal (RFP) as yet or anything of the sort but persons should be notified the world over that Guyana wants to build a deep-water port and they should start sending in unsolicited proposals if they so desire,” he explained.
On this point the Director noted that there is also room for several other ports to developed around the country. “So those are things that we have to start building out on but the other logistics chain the many ports that have to be developed.”

The proposed deepwater port is not just a stand-alone project but a key component of Guyana’s broader vision to integrate with northern Brazil. By developing a port that can handle large vessels, Guyana aims to become a central player in regional trade, facilitating the movement of goods between South America and global markets like the Panama Canal.
The deepwater port is expected to significantly reduce the cost of shipping for Guyanese exports, making them more competitive on the global market. It will also lower the cost of imported goods, benefitting consumers and businesses alike.
Moreover, in a bold step towards advancing Guyana’s construction capabilities, the seasoned business professional revealed that the country will soon make its presence known in the ship building industry.
“We’re also going into the space right now where Guyana would be one of the leading countries in shipbuilding. So, we need the parts, the supply, as well as the expertise, and that might come as a shock to some people, but we will go into the realm of shipbuilding.”
Just last April Guyana Port Incorporated (GPI), a local company that offers dry-docking and ship repair services, had revealed plans of moving into shipbuilding, in particular the future building of oil tankers even as Guyana’s oil and gas sector flourishes.
Established in 2019, GPI, according to its official page, has the only 2000-metric-ton floating dry dock in the country as of 2022. The dock, according to the company, measures 80 metres in length and 16 metres in breadth and can accommodate vessels with an even keel of three metres.