T&T firms to lose Guyana oil contract
Firms in Trinidad and Tobago, which at present are contracted to provide all marine support vessel (MSV) tank cleaning operations needed for Guyana’s oil industry, are set to lose those contracts valuing several billions of dollars .
International oil giant ExxonMobil, which is the company drawing oil in Guyana, has disclosed plans of bringing the multi-billion-dollar vessel cleaning services in-house in Guyana via its subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL).
At present all MSV tank cleaning operations needed for Guyana’s oil industry are conducted by companies in Trinidad and Tobago, as stated by ExxonMobil in its Comprehensive Waste Management Plan (CWMP) submitted to Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency last year.
The cleaning process employed in the twin island Caribbean republic is manual and generates large volumes of wash water and solids with the material recovered from tank cleaning services evaluated for reuse at liquid mud plants (LMPs). The tank cleaning waste streams that are unable to be reclaimed are evaluated for treatment.
ExxonMobil’s has advised that a tender is now out in Guyana to provide tank cleaning services locally using technologies that minimise the generation of waste. The company reports that the need for MSV tank cleaning services in Guyana is part of the strategy for LMP operations in the country in the future.
Expounding in this regard, Exxon said the operation of three LMPs in Georgetown to support offshore operations efficiently requires co-located tank cleaning services.
Additionally, the oil giant explained that the start-up for MSV tank cleaning capabilities in Guyana was slated to get off the ground late last year, adding that the tank cleaning system selected for Guyana includes a solids removal system and wash water reuse technology.
The American multinational oil company reports that solids removal system and water reuse technology selected will reduce the waste generated from tank cleaning. The CWMP, which details the plan for in-house tank cleaning servicing, is a document based on a holistic review of EEPG’s maturing waste management process.
The document was developed pursuant to Section Five of the Payara Development Project Environmental Permit and the Cradle to Grave Waste Analysis Study approved by the Environmental Protection Agency on September 13, 2021.
The plan is intended to accommodate all projects in Guyana associated with EEPGL’s exploration and appraisal drilling, development drilling, installation, office construction, production operations and related activities.
— DURRANT PATE