New Wave Offshore Energy has secured the Marine Warranty Survey (MWS) contract for ExxonMobil’s Whiptail development, marking a significant milestone in its expanding service portfolio. This assignment underscores the company’s role in risk management and safety oversight for the $12.7 billion oil project in Guyana’s Stabroek block.
Kyle Eddings, Founder and CEO of New Wave Offshore, emphasized the importance of the contract:
“The Whiptail MWS award highlights New Wave Offshore’s growth and our commitment to supporting ExxonMobil Guyana’s offshore operations. We are grateful for the trust ExxonMobil Guyana has placed in our technical expertise and look forward to strengthening our partnership, which has been built over the past five years.”
New Wave Offshore’s scope of work includes providing marine warranty services across multiple project phases, ensuring safe transportation and installation (T&I) operations. The company will deliver independent oversight to verify compliance with agreed warranties while adding technical value to the project.
Megan Eddings, Chief Strategy Officer of New Wave Offshore, highlighted the company’s strategic vision:
“Our marine warranty survey capabilities blend specialized technical expertise with a deep understanding of offshore energy project dynamics. The Whiptail contract award aligns with our strategy to become a leading marine assurance provider in the global offshore energy industry. We are excited to demonstrate our ability to support complex, high-value infrastructure developments.”
ExxonMobil recently took the final investment decision (FID) to develop Whiptail as its sixth project in the Stabroek block. SBM Offshore has been entrusted with the front-end engineering and design (FEED) work for the floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit designated for the project.
With an expected operational life of at least 20 years, the FPSO Jaguar—currently under construction following a steel strike ceremony on November 12, 2024—will be a key asset in ExxonMobil’s Guyana portfolio. The vessel is set to commence production in 2027.
The Whiptail development, located in approximately 2,000 meters of water, will tap into the Whiptail, Pinktail, and Tilapia fields, with the potential to expand if additional resources prove viable. The project involves drilling between 40 and 65 production and injection wells, supporting a production capacity of 250,000 barrels of oil per day. The FPSO Jaguar will also feature a gas treatment capacity of 540 million cubic feet per day and a water injection capacity of 300,000 barrels per day.
Meanwhile, SBM Offshore is managing additional projects, including a recent study on carbon capture system designs for future FPSOs intended for Petrobras’ operations in Brazil.