Construction of second FPSO on schedule

-expected to be ready for delivery later this year

The Liza Unity FPSO
The Liza Unity FPSO

The Liza Unity Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) oil platform, which is under construction in Singapore, is on track for departure to the Liza field in the Stabroek block offshore Guyana later this year.

Once completed, Liza Unity will be the second FPSO at the ExxonMobil-operated Liza field and is scheduled for start-up in 2022. The FPSO is being constructed by SBM Offshore Guyana.

A release by the company said that the Fast4Ward Multi-Purpose Floater (MPF) hull moved to the integration quayside in the Keppel shipyard at Tuas, Singapore, where the topsides integration phase started.

According to the release, this phase will facilitate gradual preparation of the FPSO for the start of the onshore commissioning activities, leading up to the final quayside departure. It was further stated that the new development is in line with the Liza Phase 2 project schedule.

“The Liza Unity FPSO represents SBM Offshore’s first Fast4Ward design, benefitting from standardization of the project`s execution plan and using a fully completed and commissioned MPF hull, which sets the benchmark for future FPSO projects,” the release explained.

Media Relations Manager Aarne Luten said that this Liza Unity FPSO is significantly bigger than the Liza Destiny FPSO as Liza Unity is designed to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day whereas Liza Destiny is designed for 120,000 barrels per day. A cost has not been disclosed.

SBM Offshore is also constructing the Prosperity FPSO, which will become the third FPSO vessel in Guyana.

Meanwhile, Luten said that investing in Guyana is important to the company, while revealing that 40% of SBM’s workforce, both on and offshore combined, are Guyanese. Apart from that he said they have entered in a few partnership with local companies.

Apart from Denmor Garments Manufacturers Inc and Caribbean Cloth-ing Company Ltd, which recently secured contracts to manufacture over two thousand coveralls for workers in Singapore who are constructing Prosperity, they have formed a partnership with Plympton Farms, a major agricultural project in Guyana.

More than 3 acres of specialist fruit and vegetable production will be created at Plympton Farms, Linden Highway, generating local employment and opportunities. It was stated that the partnership between SBM Offshore, Plympton Farms and catering company, Newrest, has been created to secure a reliable source of fresh vegetables for the crew of the FPSO Liza Destiny offshore Guyana and reduce food imports now, and for future vessels to come.