GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana says it is now able to inspect and issue helideck licences, further equipping the Caribbean Community (Caricom) with the necessary skills to significantly develop its burgeoning oil and gas sector.

A helideck is a landing platform on a vessel or offshore structure, which allows helicopters to land and take off.

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) presented Prosperity, the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel on Tuesday with a helideck licence following a thorough inspection carried out by Guyana’s first helideck inspector, Adrian Bassier.

“Today we can happily say that Guyana has its first helideck inspector after the last inspection,” said GCAA Director General Egbert Field underscoring the significant role the helideck plays in the oil and gas sector.

“The civil aviation forms an integral part of that development and we are now on the verge of becoming a very big oil-producing nation. In moving forward with that, the elements to support our oil production has got to be put in place,” he stated.

The oil and gas industry both offshore and onshore is dependent on the service of helicopters in its operations for a number of applications including crew changes and fire and rescue operations.

Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill said the fact that the inspection was carried out by a Guyanese inspector, is a testament to the capacity that the country has developed.

“There is a pride that Guyana can do things and Guyana is going places. When we had to get a helideck inspection a few years ago we had to engage a foreign partner, Ghana, to be exact to do that work for us. We didn’t have to go that same route again of having a foreign partner to do that inspection, we now have the capacity in the country…and that is very important,” Edghill said, reiterating the government’s commitment to improve the skills of nationals.

Edghill said the government is making significant strides in the oil and gas sector, and last weekend Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said Guyana would construct a multi-million dollar facility that will serve as a centre to equip nationals with the expertise needed to work in the oil and gas sector.

“Right here at Port Mourant, there is going to be a massive facility for training Guyanese for the industry. This will be a US$120 million facility for training people to work in the industry,” Jagdeo announced.

By the end of 2022, Guyana was pumping an average of 360,000 barrels of oil per day and ranked 17th globally by oil reserves. The United States-based oil giant, ExxonMobil’s oil production in Guyana is expected to reach 750 thousand barrels per day by 2026.