PM tours 'Dragon' survey ship

THE Prime Minister on October 11 visited a ship acquired to help plan the exploitation of the Dragon gas field, for which Trinidad and Tobago has obtained a two-year licence from the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) to extract Venezuelan natural gas, exempting TT from US sanctions on its neighbour.

TT also has a 30-year licence with Venezuela, with first gas expected by 2027, according to several reports.

The Dragon field is estimated to hold 4.2 trillion cubic feet of gas, with a projected output of 185 million cubic feet per day.

"Dr Keith Rowley toured the vessel which will soon depart our shores to conduct surveys and collect technical data on the Dragon gas field," said a post by the Office of the Prime Minister on Facebook.

Energy Minister Stuart Young gave a status update on the project, as part of the team accompanying Rowley.

Shell TT senior vice president and country chair Adam Lowmass and National Gas Company (NGC) chairman Dr Joseph Ishmael Khan were also onboard the ship, now docked at Chaguaramas.

The statement said the ship will help determine the design and route of the pipeline which will bring gas to Shell’s platform.

Young also referred to the ship in a post on Facebook on October 11.

"Ten months after obtaining the 30-year licence to explore, produce and export gas from the Venezuelan Dragon gas field to TT, a survey vessel is departing to commence the technical survey exercise of the Dragon field and the sea bed between Dragon and the Hibiscus platform in TT.

"Work has been proceeding apace as we work to ensure the future of TT."

Accompanying photos showed the ship's name as Dona Jose II.

The website www.vesselfinder.com said Dona Jose II is an offshore tug/supply ship built in 2004 and currently sailing under the flag of Colombia.