THE offshore oil sector in Guyana has seen remarkable strides, driven by production optimisation on three floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels—Liza Destiny, Liza Unity, and Prosperity—delivered to ExxonMobil Guyana by SBM Offshore.

While the Destiny was initially designed to produce 120,000 barrels per day and the Unity and Prosperity 220,000 barrels each, production optimisation has led to outputs exceeding these figures, reaching averages of 160,000 barrels on Destiny and 250,000 barrels each on the others.

At today’s oil price, that additional 100,000 barrels generate more than US$200 million in additional revenue a month. This increase brings tangible benefits to Guyana, ExxonMobil, and its partners.
Guyana’s oil sector offers tremendous promise, and production optimisation is a key part of realising that promise without compromising on safety or environmental stewardship. ExxonMobil Guyana has ambitions to further increase the Liza Unity’s production to 270,000 barrels a day, and is working with regulators to ensure this increase is done responsibly.

Optimisation work on the vessel was undertaken during a July shutdown to facilitate the connection of the Gas-to-Energy pipeline to the Unity and Destiny FPSOs. The long-term benefits of optimisation are expected to be far more beneficial than the production deferred during the shutdown.

SBM Offshore’s CEO, Øivind Tangen in a recent media report, outlined that the production increase stems from a careful process known as “debottlenecking.” This approach does not involve pushing FPSOs beyond their limits; rather, it relies on real-time data to refine initial design assumptions, uncovering efficiencies while remaining within the vessels’ operational boundaries.

Tangen affirmed the normalcy of infrastructure debottlenecking in the industry, to improve efficiency. In Guyana’s case, this increased efficiency is resulting in increased throughput for the FPSOs which are being delivered under SBM Offshore’s Fast4Ward programme.
Put simply, the design capacity of the FPSOs is lower than what the vessel can safely handle after optimisation. Optimising or increasing production through processes like debottlenecking is standard practice, not just in oil and gas, but for industrial operations in nearly all sectors.

For Guyana, optimisation is crucial. Each additional barrel produced offshore translates to added government revenue, directly benefitting the country through royalties and profit oil. This steady increase in production supports the government’s long-term development plans, helping to fund essential infrastructure, education, healthcare, and renewable energy projects.

Optimisation is a valuable tool for the young oil-producing nation, enabling it to capture maximum benefits from its natural resources without compromising safety or standards. ExxonMobil Guyana and SBM Offshore collaborate closely with Guyanese regulators to ensure that all optimisation processes undergo rigorous review and approval, ensuring the country’s interests and the integrity of offshore operations are protected.