Ghana helps Guyana certify helideck on Liza Destiny

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 July 2019, 7:21 by Writer

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) says it got technical help from its Ghanaian counterpart aviation body to certify the helicopter deck aboard the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, Liza Destiny, that is on its way to Guyanese waters to prepare for commercial oil production.

“The inspection was conducted in collaboration with the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (Ghana CAA) which has qualified inspectors and technical expertise in the licensing and certification of helidecks.

The inspection in Singapore was done to ensure compliance with Guyana’s Civil Aviation regulations and the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), while the vessel was in the shipyard so that any irregularity can be addressed before it leaves the port,” the Guyana CAA said.

The Guyana CAA sent its Chief Air Navigations and Aerodromes Inspector, Adrian Bassier, to conduct a helideck inspection aboard the vessel in Singapore.

The GCAA says it is building the capacity of its inspectors to address the needs of the emerging oil and gas sector in Guyana, by undertaking initiatives which will provide on-the-job training opportunities for its inspectors. “Over the years the GCAA has invested significant financial resources to build the capacity of its Inspectors, which enables them to conduct their functions with more efficiency and effectiveness,” the Guyanese aviation regulatory agency said.

The inspector from Ghana was delegated by the Director General of the GCAA, Lt. Col. Egbert Field to perform the inspection functions on behalf of the Authority. “This is a normal practice when a State’s civil aviation authority does not have the requisite capacity to conduct an inspection or certification exercise,” the GCAA said.

The Ghanaian inspector performed this function on behalf of the GCAA so that the requisite licence and certification for helideck would be issued by the GCAA, the agency that will be responsible for oversight of helidecks on FPSO vessels in Guyana’s territory.

The collaboration between Guyana and Ghana for this certification process emanated from a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between GCAA and Ghana CAA in December 2018, in Nairobi, Kenya, at the ICAO Air Services Negotiation (ICAN) event. “It is a significant indication of words in actions as it testifies to the fruition of bilateral commitments made by the President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, to H.E. President David Granger, during a State visit to Guyana in June 2019,” the Guyana CAA said.

The MOU between the two civil aviation authorities provides for technical cooperation and sharing of expertise and knowledge in civil aviation.

Prior to this collaboration, Guyana’s relations with Ghana was strengthened in 2018 when the two nations signed air services agreements at the International Civil Aviation Organisation Air Transport Meeting held in Guyana.

The Liza Destiny is ExxonMobil’s FPSO vessel, which is expected in Guyana some time in September. The ship was commissioned by the First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, in Singapore in June.