Latest update September 17th, 2026 10:25 AM
25 helicopter trips required weekly for preparatory work on 7th oil project—Exxon says in EIA
Kaieteur News- To prepare for production activities on its seventh planned development in the Stabroek Block, Hammerhead, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) said it will require 20 to 25 round trip flights per week from the project site to local or Trinidadian shorebases.
Helicopter flights are used to support offshore oil and gas operations (Source: Vertical Magazine)
The developer outlined this plan in its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently. According to the 4232-page document, completed by Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Hammerhead will require the use of onshore facilities and laydown areas, such as shorebases, to store project materials such as drilling fluid and pipe joints; and for pre-fabrication and assembly of Project equipment.
The EIA explains, “Currently, EMGL plans to use existing Guyana shorebases to support the Project. Additional shorebase facilities or regional waste management services may be used in the future. All onshore support facilities used by the Project are or will be owned/operated by third parties.”
To this end, Exxon pointed out that it will require trips to or from a Guyana shorebase- or as required to or from Trinidad and Tobago shorebases- for the development and operation of the Project. It estimated that during development drilling (assuming three drill ships are supporting the project concurrently), support vessels could average approximately 10 to 15 trips per week to or from shorebases.
During installation, it noted that support and installation vessels could average approximately three to five trips per week to or from shorebases, while in the production operations, support vessels could average approximately three to five trips per week to or from shorebases.
Additionally, Exxon informed the EPA, “Aviation support is expected to be about 20 to 25 round-trip flights per week during drilling and installation and an estimated five to seven round-trip flights per week during production operations and continued development drilling activities.”
It said the logistical support will be optimized and shared among the Liza Phase 1, Liza Phase 2, Payara, Yellowtail, Uaru, Whiptail, and Hammerhead Development Projects, as well as for exploration drilling. Hammerhead is located in the south-central portion of the Stabroek Block, approximately 160 km from Georgetown. In the Project Summary submitted by Exxon to the EPA, the company explained that the project is expected to add 120,000 to 180,000 barrels of oil per day production capacity. Production is expected to begin in 2029 subject to the necessary regulatory approvals and operate for at least 20 years. Exxon said Hammerhead will develop the offshore resource by drilling approximately 14 to 30 development wells (including production and water injection wells); installing and operating Subsea Umbilicals, Risers, and Flowlines (SURF) equipment; using an FPSO to process, store, and offload the recovered oil; and installing an approximately 13-kilometer gas export pipeline from the FPSO to a tie-in on the Gas to Energy Pipeline.
(25 helicopter trips required weekly for preparatory work on 7th oil project—Exxon says in EIA)
Share this:
Discover more from Kaieteur News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Similar Articles
Website Hits
Blunt of the day
Sports
Features/Columnists
Sir. Ronald Sanders
The GHK Lall Column
Weekend Cartoon
