Denis Chabrol, Bloomberg News

GEORGETOWN
EnergiesNet.com 01 05 2026

Guyana said it is making a concerted effort to clear wreckage from its waterways and improve navigation as the number of ships serving the burgeoning oil-sector increases.  

More than 14 wrecks have been removed since 2023, with three others set for cleanup in the coming months, weather permitting, Maritime Administration Director Stephen Thomas said Saturday at a news conference in Georgetown. The nation’s ports had a reputation for being unsafe due to wrecks dating from the 1960s littering the rivers and harbor.

Oil discoveries have taken Guyana from being among South America’s poorest countries to one that will pump more crude per person than Saudi Arabia or Kuwait by 2027. Guyana is on track to overtake Venezuela as South America’s second-­largest oil producer, after Brazil.  

The wreck cleanup will also allow Guyana to widen and deepen the channels in the Demerara River and the Berbice River, its busiest thoroughfares, Thomas said. Maritime charts are also being updated to ensure no ships make contact with submarine cables and the gas-to-shore pipeline. 

“Off the coast of Guyana is tremendously busy now and we have to ensure that everything is promptly surveyed and properly marked,” he said.

bloomberg,com 01 04 2025