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Oil production would shutdown to avoid spill in response to acts of aggression – ExxonMobil
Kaieteur News- ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) on Thursday evening explained that offshore production would be halted in the event of any acts of aggression that may be taken by Venezuela.
The company was at the time engaging the public at the Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown on its eight proposed deepwater development, Longtail.
ExxonMobil officials engaging citizens at a scoping meeting at the Umana Yana on Thursday
Following a detailed presentation by Exxon’s In-Country Projects Manager, Rebecca Cvikota, the small gathering in attendance had the opportunity to raise concerns or questions which they may have pertaining to the environmental and social impacts of the project.
In response to a question on the company’s preparedness or course of action that may be taken in the event of any acts of aggression that may lead to an oil spill, Cvikota said, “It all depends on the situation, some of the subsea equipment those subsea trees that I mentioned have valves and what that means is that we can close all the subsea wells using the tree equipment if we needed to. We are always able to stop production should we get information that something might be happening that require us to do so.”
She added that safety is the company’s priority and production would therefore take “second seat” to ensure the environment is safeguarded in the event of any issues.
Meanwhile with regard to safety of the crew, Exxon explained that the crew members had been trained and protocols are in place. The company, for security reasons, however did not divulge more information on that plan.
During an earlier meeting on Thursday at the Leonora Technical Institute, this question was also raised by Kaieteur News.
The team then had explained that it is in very close contact with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to ensure the safety and security of its personnel both offshore and onshore.
Additionally, ExxonMobil noted its appreciation for the response that emanated from the diplomatic community.
Exxon’s In-Country Projects Manager, Rebecca Cvikota
“We were really glad to see the response from the diplomatic community condemning the actions of Venezuela and really supporting the peaceful process of resolving this controversy. We are gonna continue to, as you say, work with the Guyana Defence Force to monitor the situation very closely, not only offshore but onshore as well and to work together to be ready to respond if anything were to change in that situation,” a representative of the company noted.
On March 1, 2025, around 07:00h, a Venezuelan armed vessel entered Guyana’s waters and approached ExxonMobil Guyana’s Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform – Prosperity – which is operating in Guyana’s oil-rich Stabroek Block. The Venezuelan vessel radioed the FPSO platform stating that it was operating in what it termed “disputed international waters” before continuing its course towards other FPSOs operating in the oil block.
Following this brazen act by Venezuela, in breach of the 2023 Argyle Declaration and international law, various international organizations and countries condemned the move.
Guyana’s Head of State, Dr. Irfaan Ali had met with Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on December 14, 2023 which led to a joint declaration for peace between the two countries.
Guyana and Venezuela agreed that they will not, directly or indirectly threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.
Both nations also agreed that any controversies between the two States will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966. See link for more: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2023/12/15/venezuela-agrees-to-scale-back-aggression-against-guyana/
(Oil production would shutdown to avoid spill in response to acts of aggression – ExxonMobil)
(Oil production would shutdown)
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