Guyana News

Global oil firms are preparing to spend more than $53 billion in Guyana’s coveted Stabroek Block during the coming decade.According to Rystad Energy research, recent discoveries in the Guyana-Suriname basin have proven a wider petroleum system and may cause an upgrade in resource estimates, drawing extra attention to upcoming wells.It said that with more than 8 billion barrels of recoverable oil discovered in Stabroek thus far, companies are set to boost their capital expenditure for the area…

A vessel carrying about 1 million barrels crude oil from Guyana set sail on Monday for the United States, according to vessel tracking service TankerTrackers.com, ushering the tiny South American nation into ranks of the world's oil exporters.The first cargo of Liza crude departed from the floating platform Liza Destiny off Guyana, operated by U.S. companies Exxon Mobil, Hess Corp, and China's CNOOC . (Reporting by Marianna Parraga; editing by Diane Craft)

A dead monkey was found in a shipping container in Whāngārei, New Zealand this month.A staff member at BBS Timbers discovered the dehydrated monkey body squeezed between sawn timber packs upon opening the fumigated container, which had arrived from Guyana.The facility alerted Biosecurity New Zealand, which advised how to remove the monkey. A biosecurity officer followed up with an inspection and picked up the body for disposal.The monkey body was in a poor condition. The species has not been identified."The whole response worked extremely well.

US Offshore Support Vessel Analysis 2018 and 2019. The US GOM Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) market is suffering, utilization remains poor, and many owners are still squeezed financially. However, a poor market forces people to adapt and for those willing to take risks, the upside can be extremely large.US Owners 2018 vs. 2019: Within the US GOM, 2018 saw a period of strategic thinking and tactical business decisions. Tidewater Marine completed their merger with GulfMark Offshore to create the world’s largest OSV player.

Shane Guidry, CEO of Harvey Gulf International Marine, has announced he has purchased Harvey’s 30 percent ownership in Quality Liquefied Natural Gas Transport (QLNG). The CEO previously owned 70 percent of QLNG with Harvey and now controls 100 percent.In connection with the announcement, Mr. Guidry commented: “QLNG didn’t quite fit into Harvey’s core business and future. At Harvey, we are focused on growing globally, which we’ve done over the last 12 months. Today, we have vessels working in Mexico, Trinidad, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, USA and Nigeria.

The environment in oil patches onshore and offshore alike has been challenging throughout 2019; worries about an economic slowdown – whether cyclical or induced by a trade war – have weighed heavily on oil prices, even in the face of reduced production by the big producers. Though storm clouds persist, there appears a clearing on the horizon.The fate of Offshore Service Vessels (OSVs) is, naturally, closely tied to the price of oil. Seacor Marine’s John Gellert, in reviewing its Q2 results, said: “Activity levels in the U.S.

SBM Offshore announced it has signed contracts with Chinese shipyards for the construction of the company’s fourth and fifth hulls under its purchase program for Fast4Ward newbuild multipurpose floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) hulls.The contracts were signed with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and Offshore Co., Ltd. (SWS) and China Merchants Industry Holdings (CMIH). Both yards are also progressing the construction of SBM Offshore’s first three hulls which…

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is positioned for another year of record oil production in 2020, despite massive cuts in investment.According to Rystad Energy, most of this growth coming from deep water projects.“2020 is expected to be another record year with average production above 1.9 million barrels per day,” says Joachim Milling Gregersen, an analyst on Rystad Energy’s upstream team.Oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has grown every year since 2013, with an average of 104,000 barrels per day added annually.

Global giants of the oil and gas industry – the so-called supermajors – are looking to sell assets that could fetch a total of $27.5 billion, according to Rystad Energy’s latest assessment.These companies are actively shedding mature assets on a massive scale in a bid to finance higher-yielding investments elsewhere, with the added benefit of pleasing shareholders who are calling for stricter capital discipline.“The expected transactions mean some of the majors are poised to exit certain regions…

On 28 October 2019 oil giant BP announced a major gas discovery, Orca-1, exploration well in the BirAllah area off the coast of Mauritania.“The deepest and largest discovery so far this year, Rystad Energy estimates Orca-1 holds around 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) of recoverable resources,” says Palzor Shenga, a senior analyst on Rystad Energy’s upstream team.Offshore continues to dominate exploration in 2019, both in terms of the number of discoveries and the volume of resources unearthed.

The European Union (EU) has provided EUR40 million (USD 45 million) to boost sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP).An initiative by ACP-EU-Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is to invest in value chains that stimulate inclusive growth, bolster food security and minimize impacts on the marine environment."ACP-EU-FAO initiative signed a €40 million, five-year program (FISH4ACP) to boost the development of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Africa…

Bourbon confirmed on Wednesday that the body of a fourth crew member has been recovered following the sinking of its vessel Bourbon Rhode last week. Only three of the 14 Bourbon Rhode crew members have been rescued as the search continues for seven mariners still missing.The body of the fourth mariner was discovered on Tuesday and transferred on the French Navy frigate Ventôse, Bourbon said. The bodies of three other seafarers were recovered at sea on Monday.Offshore tug supply vessel Bourbon Rhose sank in the Atlantic Ocean…

Oslo-headquartered TMC Compressors of the Seas said on Monday it has been awarded a contract from Chinese shipyard Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding to supply the marine compressed air system to the Liza Unity floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO).Under the contract, TMC will provide a large compressed air system consisting of frequency-controlled instrument air compressors, air compressors, and associated air dryers and filters, it said. The company did not reveal the value of the contract.Once completed…

Bourbon said a mission has been launched to rescue 14 crew from one of its vessels taking on water in heavy seas near a category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean.The French offshore vessels owner said water is entering the stern of the 49.5-meter tug supply vessel Bourbon Rhode, about 60 nautical miles south-southeast from the eye of hurricane Lorenzo.The US National Hurricane Center said on Thursday morning the category 4 storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour and moving west-northwest at 13 miles per hour.As of Thursday afternoon…

The Company announced today that its two PSV 3250’s arrived without incident in Nigeria on August 12, 2019 and immediately began one-year contracts.CEO Shane Guidry commented, “We want to thank our local partner and our Nigeria employees for working 100 percent within our policies, procedures and most importantly our safety culture. We look forward to growing our business in the region.” The Company continues to expand globally, with two additional PSV 5400’s arriving in Trinidad on August 24…

McQuilling Services Announces the Release of the 2019 Mid-Year Tanker Market Outlook Update.The Mid-Year Tanker Market Outlook Update provides an outlook on the global tanker market in the context of global economic growth and oil fundamentals influencing tanker demand and vessel supply. The outlook includes a view on future asset values, time charter rates, market freight rates and TCE revenues for 24 major tanker trades and four triangulated routes across eight vessel segments for the second half of 2019 through the remaining four years of the forecast period 2019-2023.

Developing and maintaining sound capability to respond effectively to marine pollution incidents involving oil, hazardous and noxious substances is a priority in the Caribbean, which is home to many vulnerable ecosystems.In response, the Curacao-based Regional Marine Pollution Emergency, Information and Training Center for the Caribbean (REMPEITC-Caribe) organized a trans-boundary oil spill response exercise in Suriname (27-28 August).The event brought together response managers…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Chile, to extend Chile's technical assistance to countries in the Caribbean region, in addition to Latin America.According to the UN body, the MoU on Technical Cooperation, signed by the Directorate General of Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine (DIRECTEMAR) of the Republic of Chile, replaces earlier MoUs (signed in 2002 and 2005) and strengthens the collaboration…

The very first production vessel destined for operations offshore Guyana has departed Singapore en route to the ExxonMobil-operated Stabroek block off the northeastern coast of South America.The Liza Destiny floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel is expected to arrive in September ahead of first oil planned in 2020.The FPSO, which was converted from a very large crude carrier (VLCC) at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, is designed to produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day…

US based Harvey Gulf announced on Tuesday that it has signed a pair of one-year charters in Nigeria, for the placement of two US-flag 3250DWT DPS-2 platform supply vessels (PSV). Both PSVs are capable of working in shallow water ports with 4.5 meters of transit depth and will depart for Nigeria in late June.The company said it also expects to send two 1,000-square-meter deck vessels to the area in the third quarter.CEO Shane Guidry commented, “We are continuing with our commitment to our shareholders of doing all we can to continue to generate positive EBITDA and cash flow…

The United States has a world-leading 293 billion barrels of recoverable oil resources, which is 20Bbbl more than Saudi Arabia and 100Bbbl more than Russia, with the Permian Basin leading that charge.Rystad Energy’s estimate of US recoverable oil is also five times more than officially reported proven reserves as published in the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2019.Tight oil plays in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico now hold 100 billion barrels of recoverable oil resources, according to Rystad Energy’s analysis.

Dutch-based floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) provider SBM Offshore has won a contract to deliver an FPSO for ExxonMobil’s second phase of the Liza development offshore Guyana.Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), an affiliate of Exxon Mobil Corporation, has confirmed the award of contracts for the next phase of the Liza project in Guyana, said a press release from SBM.Under these contracts, SBM Offshore will construct, install and thereafter lease and operate for up to two years the Liza Unity FPSO.

Since committing to go global in September 2018, US based Harvey Gulf said on Thursday it has been awarded contracts in Mexico, Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname.The company noted it also has bids for work in Mozambique, Angola, Senegal, Israel, Ghana and Nigeria.Harvey Gulf, which completed a financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceedings in 2018, said it will continue to look for merger opportunities as they present themselves.