The international oil company (IOC) ExxonMobil Corporation (ExxonMobil) and its partners are planning to develop a new floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit in the Longtail area, near the Liza field in the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana.
Since its first discovery in 2015, the Stabroek Block has become one of the most significant oil finds in recent years.
The block’s estimated recoverable resources exceed 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent and cover 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers).
ExxonMobil Liza-8 Longtail FPSO History
ExxonMobil operates the block in partnership with:
- Hess Corporation (Hess), an US-based independent
- China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the Chinese national oil company (NOC)
In 2018, the partners discovered the Longtail reserve at a total depth of 5,500 meters, with approximately 78 meters of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone.
In March 2025, ExxonMobil applied to Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency to add an eighth FPSO in the Liza field.
The Longtail FPSO is expected to be at least the same size as the Whiptail Jaguar FPSO, with a capacity of:
- 200,000 to 290,000 barrels per day (b/d) of oil
- 1 billion and 1.5 billion cubic feet per day (cf/d) of gas
- 2 million barrels of crude storage
- 15,000 b/d of water
ExxonMobil will reinject the gas to enhance oil recovery (EOR) and is not expected to use the water.
As with the last FPSOs developed in the area, ExxonMobil is likely to contract SBM Offshore.
The newbuild facility will feature:
- Double-sided construction
- Single-bottom protection
- 334 meters length
- 60 meters width
- 33 meters depth
The FEED is expected to start before the end of 2025, followed by the EPC in 2027, with operations anticipated by 2030.
January 2026
ExxonMobil aims to made FID by the end of 2026, or early 2027.
The project’s CAPEX could reach $12.5 billion, including:
- FPSO
- 225 km long offshore pipeline expansion
- 300 MW power plant, Gas-to-Energy
- Natural gas liquids (NGL) Processing Expansion
March 2026
ExxonMobil awarded the FEED contract to SBM Offshore (SBM) with the option to convert it into engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) if FEED conclusive.
SBM will use its Fast4Ward hull design to speed up and cost of the project cycle.
Longtail will be the largest FPSO built with this design to be moored in Guyana.
Exclusively used for the treatment of the associated gas in Stabroek oil fields, Longtail FPSO should have a capacity of:
- 1 200 million cf/d of gas
- 250,000 b/d of condensate
SBM will operate and maintain the FPSO, but will transfer its owner ship to ExxonMobil at the end of the construction. This scheme enable to reduce the costs of the construction risk for the contractor.
In the context of the Iran war, ExxonMobil intends to run this project on fast track and should make the final investment decision (FID) on early 2027.
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