Hayleys Energy Services, Hambantota International Port Group in largest oil field production asset to come to Sri Lanka
Hayleys Energy Services (HES), the pioneer in Oil and Gas support services in Sri Lanka, last week ushered in the first floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) asset to ever call Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG). The FPSO asset – Dhirubhai-1, is expected to be docked at the Hambantota International Port for a minimum of six months for a warm lay-up.
The owners of Dhirubhai- 1, Aker Contracting FP ASA together with its technical manager Aker Floating Production based out of Norway, focuses on the business of owning, chartering and operating F loat i n g , Production, Storage and Offloading ( FPSO) vessels equipped for offshore Oil and Gas production.
The arrival of Dhirubhai- 1, marks the second vessel to call on the Port of Hambantota for lay- up services, the first being the arrival of the Oil and Gas Drillship “Aban Abraham” in December 2018 initiated by HES, the company said in a media release.
“Sri Lanka has many remarkable facets to offer the world and we are pleased to see the potential of Sri Lanka, being showcased through projects of this nature. One of the largest and most valuable assets in the Oil and Gas industry being brought in for lay-up services to the Hambantota Port sends a clear message to the world about the quality of the services that we as Sri Lankans can offer,” said Ruwan Waidyaratne, Managing Director – Hayleys Advantis Ltd. He added: “The Hambantota International Port Group was a key factor in attracting this FPSO asset to Sri Lanka, by offering a long- term quayside berth. This enabled Hayleys Energy Services to attract Aker to Sri Lanka, moving this project away from traditional lay- up locations in the region.”
Dhirubhai-1 comes out of a 10 year project, where it was operating at a depth of 1200m off the East Coast of India. Given the proximity advantage of bringing this vessel for lay-up services at the Hambantota International Port, HES took the initiative in persuading the owners, Aker Floating Production. In light of the continuing lay-up service projects coming into the Port of Hambantota, HES has even set up a permanent office within the Port, on the 6th Floor of the Sayurupaya Building, Hambantota International Port, the first by an Oil and Gas Services company at this port.
Commenting on the arrival of the FPSO asset, Ray Ren, Chief Executive Officer - Hambantota International Port Group said: “This is a great endorsement for the Hambantota International Port. We appreciate the efforts of our partner Hayleys Energy Services, in joining us to market Hambantota International Port as a multipurpose port which is now moving from Ro-Ro operations to multiple other services, with a clear vision of becoming the energy hub of the region. The 6 month warm layup of Dhirubhai- 1 showcases the port's potential and the expertise of our team. We look forward to continuing to work with Hayleys Energy Services in the future.”
Meanwhile, Chas Charles,Director/ Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) - HES said,“This bodes well for the Government plans of calling for a licensing round for exploration and development work of the remaining blocks of the Mannar and Cauvery basins planned for next year. Setting up an Oil and Gas service hub, with experienced personnel well ahead of the first licensing round, will help build the relevant technical expertise to service the global Oil and Gas companies, making Sri Lanka an even more attractive location for them.”