Guyana Shore Base secures 11-year extended contract with Exxon

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat (center) along with Mr. Robin Muneshwer, Executive Director of GYSBI and Ms. Hayley Gilbert, ExxonMobil Guyana’s Logistics Manager

Mr. Robin Muneshwer, Executive Director of GYSBI said that the contract extension builds on five years of significant and continuous investment, hard work, training and development of local capacity to create a world-class facility that meets the specialised needs of the oil and gas industry.

“The first five years that we are about to complete in August were quite challenging but ExxonMobil was a true partner in all of this. They worked with us as we developed because we were starting from scratch in a country that had no oil and gas experience or infrastructure.  As we developed, ExxonMobil raised the bar on us and this is where we are at right now. We have got an 11-year extension because we earned it. What we have developed at GYSBI is something we are extremely proud of. Our safety record is unparallel, we have just celebrated two years LTI free. Our operational record is excellent, so it wasn’t handed to us. We have earned it. ExxonMobil has shown a lot of trust and faith in us and worked with us,” Mr. Muneshwer said.

GYSBI’s Executive Director highlighted that the company in 2017 signed a contract for eight acres, two berths and one warehouse. Today, it stands at 170 acres, 8 warehouses and four berths, with further expansions planned. While it started with five employees, GYSBI today has a workforce of 616 persons, 95 percent of whom as Guyanese.

“So, we have grown tremendously and we have grown because of the unparallel success that ExxonMobil has had with their discoveries. We have grown in sync with them.  We have also been a poster boy for local content. None of this would have been possible without GYSBI, which is just five years old. We know that we are an integral part of what ExxonMobil does and we do not take that for granted,” he noted.

Ms. Hayley Gilbert, ExxonMobil Guyana’s Logistics Manager said that GYSBI continues to offer comprehensive services that are crucial to the company’s day-to-day operations and has progressively matched its growth and need for additional space with a move over to its 70plus acres Industrial Estate and the commissioning of two heavy lift berths later this year.

“I have personally been able to see the transformation across GYBSI and I can only imagine what we can accomplish together over the eleven years. When you are part of such a significant development on the onset as GYSBI has been with ExxonMobil in Guyana, having continuity and sustainable business has been critical to be able to deliver the achievements that we have seen. ExxonMobil Guyana is proud to be associated with a company that continues to maintain a high standard of health, safety and operational efficiency,” she shared.

Ms. Gilbert highlighted that GYSBI remains critical as ExxonMobil Guyana advances its plans to responsibly develop Guyana’s oil and gas resources.

“The signing of a decade plus agreement shows the long-term commitment between these two business partners. Our relationship has grown over the years as GYSBI has been our conduit from the onshore to the offshore operations, a logistics hub, providing us with world class services including drilling and production operations support, waste management and storage. As the demand for support services has grown, it was clear that the expansion was necessary and GYSBI has responded to grow the multi- user facility that we see today, supporting the specialised needs of the oil and gas sector here in Guyana,” Gilbert said.

The ceremony also saw the attendance of the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Anil Nandlall, Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Hon. Deodat Indar, Members of the Private Sector Commission, the Banking Sector, and other specially invited guests.