Local shore bases driving ExxonMobil's accelerated offshore progress

Local shore bases driving ExxonMobil’s accelerated offshore progress — Routledge

Jun 21, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – ExxonMobil Guyana’s Country Manager Alistair Routledge has credited local shore base operations with playing a pivotal role in the company’s ability to fast-track offshore project execution, pointing to a growing body of evidence that Guyanese industry is rising to meet international oil and gas standards.

Routledge made the remarks at the handing over ceremony for the letter of approval plans for 2026, where he highlighted a series of milestones that, in his view, signal a maturing local energy services sector capable of competing on the world stage.

Local shore bases driving ExxonMobil's accelerated offshore progress — Routledge

Country manager for ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge

Among the achievements Routledge spotlighted was a landmark accomplishment by Freelander, a locally registered contractor working under SBM Offshore. The company recently delivered the first in-country fabricated pipework destined for an offshore installation — a development he described as a defining moment for Guyana’s industrial capability.

“Meeting international standards of welding, of inspection, of putting together the equipment that can be done anywhere else or in many countries around the world, but is now — we have developed, demonstrated that through the work of SBM Offshore, through the dedication of a local contractor — we’re able to raise the training standards of that workforce to meet the international standards needed for an offshore installation,” Routledge said.

He was careful to underscore the significance of what was produced. The fabrication, he clarified, is not for peripheral structural steel, but for the actual process equipment and pipework that forms part of the operational systems aboard the vessel — a far more demanding standard.

For Routledge, this achievement speaks directly to the strength of partnerships between international operators and local investors and workers who have committed to elevating their capabilities to meet the exacting requirements of offshore energy production.

The Country Manager was emphatic that what makes these achievements meaningful is that they are not the product of preferential treatment or protectionist policies.

“They’re not in some special way supported and ring-fenced in the country. They are meeting international standards and competing at that level. That’s sustainable,” he said.

This distinction, Routledge argued, is critical — not just for the oil and gas sector, but for Guyana’s broader economic ambitions. By developing a workforce and contractor base that can hold its own globally, Guyana is laying the groundwork for long-term international competitiveness beyond the life of any single project.

Turning to the shore bases themselves, Routledge pointed to the Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI) and the Vreed-en-Hoop Shorebase as among the largest single employers in the local private sector, with a combined workforce of over 1,000 people across both sites.

He also highlighted the contribution of Saipem, the international contractor that has been instrumental in operationalising the Vreed-en-Hoop facility and building out its workforce.

“Saipem has been able to develop, to bring that shore base to life, and now we’re developing, and we’re assembling, and bringing together all the subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines that have actually enabled us to move faster in our project execution offshore,” Routledge said.

The assembly of subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines — the critical infrastructure that connects offshore production systems to the seabed and vessels — at a local shore base represents a significant logistical and technical achievement, and one that Routledge suggested is directly translating into accelerated timelines on ExxonMobil’s offshore development programme.

Taken together, Routledge framed these developments as more than operational wins for ExxonMobil. They represent, he argued, proof of concept for a Guyanese energy services industry that is building genuine, durable capacity — one that could sustain the country’s competitiveness long after the current wave of offshore activity matures.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

ExxonMobil, Local shore bases, offshore

Latest News