By Shaquawn Gill
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – Guyana’s oil and gas potential continues to soar, as a result, the SBM Offshore company has found it important to continue to ‘set up shop’ here in Guyana.
Since the commencement of its operations in Guyana, SBM Offshore has been an integral part of Guyana’s development in the oil and gas sector.
To further expand its operations, the multinational company officially opened its corporate office on Sheriff Street, to better manage its operations here.
His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, in his remarks at the formal ceremony on Wednesday, congratulated the company for its five years of operations in Guyana, and the opening of the new office.
The president went on to urge the key players in the oil and gas sector to acknowledge and understand the importance of local content as the foreign investment sector continues to grow over the next few years.
“Fundamentally, we have to be able to understand the immediate needs of the economy in creating sustainable options, livelihoods and jobs and to be able to finance those needs. Don’t believe you could say ‘oh, we can put up the money and save it’. We have to, first of all, create an environment and an economy that is strong, stable and resilient. That requires investment.”
President Ali wished the company the best of luck in its future, as well as the hope that it would equip and integrate the local workforce into its business model.
Additionally, minister of natural resources Vickram Bharrat, who also addressed the gathering, said despite the global pandemic, the strategic push of the government is one of the pivotal factors that allowed for the business community to thrive.
“Indeed, the last two years have been two challenging years for us in Guyana, but because of the prudent management of His Excellency president Ali and his team, and also the resilience from companies like SBM and our partner Exxon Mobil and others, we would have managed to establish ourselves as one of the main players in the oil and gas sector in this hemisphere.”
SBM Offshore, which has over 100 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, is responsible for the construction Guyana’s Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels.