A landmark achievement for Guyana’s emerging offshore energy sector has been marked this month, as local workers and a new domestic fabrication firm have successfully completed the country’s first set of high-pressure process pipes for a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The project, delivered for the FPSO Liza Unity operating off Guyana’s coast, has shattered expectations by meeting the most rigorous global offshore industry standards with zero defects, marking a major step forward for local content development in the South American nation’s fast-growing oil and gas sector.
The Water Injection Riser Depressurization (WIRD) project was led by Friedlander Guyana, a relative newcomer to Guyana’s industrial fabrication market, in collaboration with SBM Offshore Guyana and ExxonMobil Guyana’s Brownfield Projects division. What makes the milestone particularly notable is that the entire scope of fabrication work was carried out by a Guyanese workforce, with capacity-building embedded into every stage of the process.
Per SBM Offshore, the project provided a unique opportunity for local welders to co-develop and qualify industry-standard welding procedures, while dozens of additional technical personnel earned certification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), a leading global maritime classification body. This certification has directly expanded Guyana’s growing pool of internationally recognized technical talent, creating long-term value that extends far beyond the WIRD project itself.
To deliver the high-pressure pipe systems, which are engineered to withstand some of the extreme water pressures encountered on FPSO vessels, Friedlander Guyana had to complete a grueling qualification process. This included third-party vendor audits, rigorous testing of weld procedures, extensive material testing conducted at globally accredited laboratories under ABS supervision, classification approval, and hands-on training and certification for local welding teams. Every step of the project — from cutting and fitting to non-destructive testing, hydrostatic pressure testing, blasting, and finishing painting — was executed in full compliance with international offshore standards. The final result was a zero-defect deliverable with no weld repairs required, a feat that confirms the quality and capability of Guyana’s local workforce.
Dr. Carla Crawford, Director and Co-owner of Friedlander Guyana, credited the on-ground workshop team for the historic success. “The success belongs first and foremost to the teams working on the workshop floor, who pushed through every stage — cutting, fitting, welding, testing, painting — to meet some of the most demanding technical requirements in the offshore industry,” Crawford said in an official statement. “They learned, they adapted, they pushed themselves to meet international standards and they succeeded. In doing so they proved something essential: that Guyanese talent, Guyanese companies can deliver specialized offshore projects at the highest level.”
Martin Cheong, General Manager of SBM Offshore Guyana, emphasized the transformative meaning of the achievement during a June 9 celebration event marking the milestone. “The WIRD project is more than a milestone—it is evidence of what can be achieved when world-class partners place confidence in local talent and work together to unlock its full potential,” Cheong said. “It provides a glimpse into the future of Guyana’s energy industry, where Guyanese companies and professionals continue to play an increasingly significant role in supporting one of the world’s most dynamic energy sectors.”
SBM Offshore confirmed that the capacity building from this initial phase will have long-term ripple effects: while this first fabrication scope supported the Liza Unity FPSO, similar work will be expanded to other FPSOs operated by SBM and other vessel builders in the future, turning a one-off project into a permanent new local capability.
ExxonMobil Guyana Production Manager Huzefa Ali reaffirmed the energy giant’s commitment to growing local technical capacity to support the long-term sustainability of Guyana’s energy sector. “As Guyana’s energy partner, ExxonMobil Guyana remains firmly committed to the country’s development and building capabilities, as this event demonstrates,” Ali said. “We continue to invest strategically in communities across the country, workforce development and the advancement of local capability.”
Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat, who delivered the feature address at the celebration, praised the cross-sector collaboration between local firms, international operators, and government, noting the project’s far-reaching benefits for national development. “The future ahead is a bright one for Guyana, is a bright one for the local entities that are taking the risk and investing, and is also a good opportunity for private and foreign investment in Guyana,” Bharrat said. “This is a true reflection of a lot of hard work by a number of people.”
Industry observers note the milestone marks a critical turning point for Guyana’s local content strategy, proving that domestic firms can compete for the most technically complex contracts in the offshore oil and gas sector, opening new economic opportunities for local workers and businesses as the country’s energy industry continues to expand.