–President Ali says Guyanese businesses being positioned to compete globally
–country eyes becoming major oil-and-gas services provider with launch of new marine services

GUYANA is positioning itself as a major oil and gas hub with the launch of Orinduik Marine Services (OMS), providing remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and expert diving capabilities.
Speaking at the Wednesday launch event held at OMS’s Lusignan facility, President Dr. Irfaan Ali noted that these investments will not just take Guyana on a plateau of development, but will also see the nation in “a steep rise long into the future”.

“This is the most cutting edge and latest technology that we are applying here in Guyana in less than a decade of operations in the oil-and-gas sector and ultra deep-water operations,” he said, adding:
“What we are witnessing here took many with greater capability and capacity, 30-plus years to achieve.”

The investment is geared towards ultra-deep operations, positioning Guyana as a regional and global leader in deep and ultra-deep capabilities.
The focus is on creating a diversified portfolio of growth, development, and prosperity through well-formulated policies.

“We have to incentivise the system; take it a step further. As we move forward in the  next five years, we now must be able to build in the system incentives for the country that are going to invest in; innovation, technology and the high-skilled areas that will bring high-paying jobs and create high-paying opportunities,” President Ali said.

“It is not by accident; it is by sound policymaking. It’s about the formulation of policies that are linked to development priorities; that are linked to the advancement of the country, not in a single-barrel method, but understanding what is meant truly by diversification,” he added.

The architecture of a modern Guyanese economy is being built, with various facilities and partnerships supporting this growth to create a diversified portfolio of development and prosperity.
Dr. Ali pointed out that the oil-and-gas sector has become a diversified, well-built sector, benefitting the new generation of technocrats and engineers.
The goal is to make Guyanese companies global competitors capable of securing opportunities worldwide.

“We’re in this to be a major competitor globally, and wherever the opportunities are,” he said. “I want Guyanese companies to be competing for these opportunities, whether in Europe, whether in the Western Hemisphere, wherever we are building the most skilled human capital that will go after every global opportunity. We are not building a local operation; we are building local companies with the best international partners to go after every world-class opportunity.”

OMS currently has a fleet of seven ROVs globally, through its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and in the United States.
“We are happy and committed to being part of a vision to develop Guyana into a state that every Guyanese will be proud of. We believe that the development of Guyana to such heights require Guyanese participation and management in all critical fields of development,” OMS Founder Harrychand Tulsi said during his remarks.

He further emphasised the need for skills transfer from the developed world to the Guyanese workforce, with expert personnel from around the world engaged as developmental partners.
Meanwhile, Mike Arnold, the Chief Executive Officer of OMS subsea (UK) noted that plans are already on the cards for Guyana to work with a Norwegian company to further advance oil-and-gas training with artificial intelligence (AI) specifically in pipeline surveys and inspection work.
He noted that it is an exciting time for Guyanese to embrace the buzz of opportunities that are unfolding.