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ExxonMobil going beyond industry standards in transfer of oil from FPSO to tankers- In-Country Projects Manager
Kaieteur News- The process of transferring oil from a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel to a tanker, that transports the commodity to refineries across the world, is a tedious one that requires careful planning to ensure safety of the environment.
Exxon’s In-Country Projects Manager, Rebecca Cvikota
ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) recently explained how the company is going beyond industry standards to ensure an oil spill does not occur during this procedure. Exxon’s In-Country Projects Manager, Rebecca Cvikota, during a public scoping meeting for the eight proposed development, Longtail, last week delved into the steps taken by the company.
She said, “There’s a lot of things that we do in this process to ensure it’s done safely. If we’re gonna do this every three to five days then we wanna make sure that when we transfer oil from the FPSO to the crude tanker that we don’t lose any of that oil to the environment. We wanna transfer it safely and keep the containment in place. So, there’s a few ways we do this.”
She explained that the company first uses a double containment hose which essentially means a hose inside of a hose. This is to ensure any issues with the interior hose that results in a leak allows the oil to be trapped rather than released into the environment.
During the transfer of oil from the FPSOs to the tankers, Exxon also uses a hawser that is connected between the two vessels to ensure the tanker does not drift too far from the FPSO, as this can result in damage to the hose transferring the oil.
Additionally, three tug boats are used to ensure the crude tanker stays a safe distance from the FPSO.
According to Cvikota, ExxonMobil, “Goes above and beyond what’s industry standard to ensure that these operations are safe. So industry standard says you only need two tugs, we use three tugs. Industry standards says you should be 90 meters away, we’re 120 meters away. This is how we proactively go above and beyond what industry tells us to do to make sure that these operations which we are gonna do regularly are done in a safe way to protect the environment.”
EMGL is the operator of the oil-rich Stabroek Block, currently producing about 650,000 barrels of oil per day. Currently, three FPSOs are operating, the Liza Unity, Liza Destiny and Prosperity. In the meantime, the company is working to commence production at three other developments that have been sanctioned to date, Yellowtail, Uaru and Whiptail.
Additionally, the company has made an application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for its seventh and eight project, Hammerhead and Longtail, respectively.
By 2030, ExxonMobil plans to produce 1.3 million barrels of oil daily from the Stabroek Block.
(ExxonMobil going beyond industry standards in transfer of oil from FPSO to tankers- In-Country Projects Manager)
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