A small fire aboard ExxonMobil Guyana’s Liza Unity floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel has forced the temporary suspension of operations offshore Guyana, including crude-oil offloading, while safety checks are conducted.
ExxonMobil Guyana said heat detectors activated in the laundry room of the vessel’s living quarters on Sunday, indicating a fire that was quickly extinguished. Emergency response procedures were immediately initiated, and all personnel aboard the vessel were accounted for and reported safe. No injuries have been reported.
“Operations were suspended as part of our established safety response and will resume following completion of the necessary checks,” the company said.
The incident temporarily affected crude lifting operations. Demerara Waves reported that the disruption involved an oil lift estimated at about one million barrels of crude.
Guyana’s regulatory authorities are also expected to investigate the incident. The Ministry of Natural Resources said Monday that the relevant authorities would probe the fire aboard the Liza Unity.
The Liza Unity is the second FPSO deployed by ExxonMobil and its partners in the Stabroek Block. It began production in February 2022 and has a production capacity of up to approximately 220,000 barrels of oil per day.
The incident comes as ExxonMobil’s offshore operations have become central to Guyana’s rapidly expanding oil industry. The company began oil and gas exploration activities in Guyana in 2008, drilled the Liza-1 discovery well in 2015 and commenced commercial production in December 2019. ExxonMobil has therefore been involved in Guyana’s modern oil industry for about 18 years, although commercial production began less than seven years ago.
The ExxonMobil-led consortium currently operates the Stabroek Block, with ExxonMobil holding a 45 percent interest, Chevron 30 percent and CNOOC 25 percent. The consortium has rapidly expanded production, with government data showing output of 895,000 barrels per day in May and 869,000 barrels per day in June 2026.
The fire also comes at a significant point in Guyana’s oil history. Earlier this month, President Irfaan Ali announced that Guyana’s entitlement to production from the Stabroek Block had risen to 39.8 percent, following the consortium’s recovery of its project costs.
While the latest incident appears to have been contained without injuries or reported environmental damage, the investigation will be closely watched, particularly as offshore production continues to expand and the country becomes increasingly dependent on oil revenues.
