Guyana’s offshore oil industry is set to take a major leap forward as the One Guyana floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel readies its first export cargo. According to Reuters, the inaugural shipment of the newly branded ‘Golden Arrowhead’ crude grade is slated for late August to early September, marking a critical milestone for the ExxonMobil-led consortium that includes Hess Corp. and China’s state-run CNOOC.
The One Guyana FPSO, now the fourth production vessel operating in the prolific Stabroek Block, will push Guyana’s total offshore production capacity beyond 900,000 barrels per day (bpd). The first cargo will reportedly consist of approximately one million barrels, which the consortium plans to market via a public tender in the coming weeks.
The debut of Golden Arrowhead adds a new light, sweet crude grade to the global market, positioning Guyana favorably among producers of high-quality blends highly sought after by refiners.
Guyana is rapidly climbing up the ranks of global oil exporters, having shipped 582,000 bpd last year. Industry forecasts anticipate Guyana could reach 1.7 million bpd by 2030 if current expansion plans proceed as scheduled, as reported by Reuters.
This latest development, including the upcoming tender, highlights Guyana’s growing strategic importance in the global crude supply chain. With ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNOOC maintaining aggressive development schedules in the Stabroek Block, Guyana is on track to retain its status as one of the fastest-growing non-OPEC oil producers.
In just six years, Guyana has transformed from one of South America’s poorest nations into the world’s newest petrostate. With a population under one million, the country is now projected to become the continent’s second-largest oil producer, trailing only Brazil.
Guyana is now a critical supplier to the global petroleum market and is on pace to become the world’s leading per capita oil producer, with output forecast to surpass one million barrels per day by the end of 2027.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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