The number of Guyanese nationals employed by the US oil giant ExxonMobil Guyana has increased to 2200 over the past few months. They represent 53 percent of the total workforce employed with the company.

Appearing on the 94.1 FM Jumpstart Morning show on Wednesday, ExxonMobil’s Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs, Deedra Moe noted that that in addition to this, ExxonMobil has spent $7 Billion on local suppliers in the first quarter of 2020.

The company has been focusing on Guyana’s local content policy that is now in place. According to Moe, there has been no real impact on the company’s supply chain with local companies despite being in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For local content, the great thing about the first quarter is that the local content policy that the government has and that we worked for, the focus has been continuing on workforce development and supplier development and that work continues,” Moe said.

However, there are likely to be adjustments moving forward as the company will have to address the long-term impact of the pandemic.

The operations of the ExxonMobil company have continued non-stop. Production has been ongoing and shipments have also been ongoing. Moe disclosed that one of the biggest difficulties being faced is bringing international workers for drilling operations.

“The largest challenge that we have had is the ability to bring international workers in the country and that has impacted our ability to continue some of our drilling operations, but that challenge, we have had to work with establishing processes and working with the travel restrictions in place.”

Meantime, ExxonMobil Guyana’s President Rod Henson has been promoted to Vice President, Wells, for ExxonMobil in Houston, with responsibility for all drilling activities around the world.

According to a release issued on Wednesday, Henson will leave Guyana to take up his new post and will be replaced by Alistair Routledge, current president and general manager for ExxonMobil Qatar Limited.

“Alistair is very well suited to take our work in Guyana to the next level given his years of experience heading up ExxonMobil’s operations in Qatar,” the release stated.

Since his appointment in 2017, Henson oversaw several important operational milestones, including the production of Guyana’s first oil in December 2019.

“This has been the best and most rewarding job I have ever had,” said Henson, “Guyana is a great country with amazing people, and I was privileged to have an awesome team that made my time here truly rewarding.”