(OilNow) Dutch floater specialist SBM Offshore is forging ahead with expanding its local workforce in Guyana where it is currently operating one oil production vessel with two more under construction for developments offshore the South American country.

The Liza Destiny Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel is producing oil at Phase 1 of the Liza Development while the Liza Unity FPSO will soon be commissioned for sail-away from Singapore for Liza Phase 2 start-up next year. Additionally, the Prosperity FPSO is being built for oil production at the Payara Development which is expected to start-up by 2023.

“We have made great strides in expanding our operations and workforce in Guyana,” SBM Offshore’s Human Resource Manager, Onecia Johnson, said in a video published on the company’s Facebook page over the weekend. “Last year, we opened our new headquarters in Sheriff Street in Georgetown, and we now have in the region of 300 persons working with us.”

Recently, seven graduate engineers from the University of Guyana were recruited by the company after undergoing a rigorous vetting process, to be trained abroad for placement on the Prosperity FPSO. The seven young Guyanese—five men and two women—will be travelling to the Netherlands and Singapore as part of an 18-month training programme. In the Netherlands, they will be working with the team on the design of the Prosperity FPSO while in Singapore, they will have firsthand experience on the vessel.

“I can assure everyone that SBM Offshore takes its commitment to local content very seriously and is leaving no stone unturned in the engagement and upliftment of Guyana and Guyanese in the oil and gas sector,” she said.

General Manager of SBM Offshore’s Guyana operations, Francesco Prazzo, said the country is at a critical juncture of its economic development and the company will be playing an integral role in this regard. “SBM is playing a leading role in unleashing the country’s potential by creating shared value and contributing to integrating the oil and gas industry into the Guyanese economy.”