(Zacks, 30.Aug.2019 ) — Hess Corporation recently announced the arrival of Liza Destiny — an oil production vessel — at the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana. Notably, this is Guyana’s first floating, production, storage and offloading vessel.
The 1,115-foot vessel arrived at the site after a 42-day journey from Singapore. Starting as early as first-quarter 2020, it is expected to lead production from 17 wells during the first stage of development in Liza Phase 1. Output from this development is expected to reach up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day. Markedly, this May, operator Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM authorized the $6-billion Liza Phase 2 project that is expected to commence within mid-2022. The third development, named Payara, is awaiting approvals.
ExxonMobil owns a 45% stake in the 6.6 million acres Stabroek block, with Hess holding a 30% interest. The remaining 25% stake at the block is owned by CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a subsidiary of CNOOC Limited CEO.
In the last few months, the largest publicly-traded energy mammoth ExxonMobil and Hess have increased their reserve estimates off the coast of Guyana to almost 6 billion barrels of oil equivalent, following a series of major oil discoveries. Notably, ExxonMobil considers deepwater Guyana and the booming Permian Basin as major growth drivers. The company estimates 750,000 barrels of oil production per day, which is around 20% of its current global hydrocarbon output, offshore Guyana by 2025.
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