As crude oil production surges off the coast of Guyana, its eastern neighbor, Suriname, has set off on its own mission to become a global oil supplier. With some onshore production active for decades, the tiny South American nation now has its sights set on developing its vast offshore reserves. While there have been some setbacks, its international partners are getting their plans back on track. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll take a deep dive into what’s ahead for Suriname.
Canadian crude output is rising, requiring new export routes. As traditional pathways face constraints, the U.S. Rockies—especially the Guernsey, WY hub—are emerging as key corridors for moving Canadian heavy crude to downstream markets, including the Gulf Coast.
We previously highlighted how Guyana has been a rising star (see Break My Stride) in the global crude market, even if it’s only a recent entrant. Guyana now has three crude grades to offer markets (see My Guy) since its first major oil discovery just a decade ago. The offshore Stabroek block’s only oil-producing area (yellow-shaded area in Figure 1 below) is churning out more than 650 Mb/d of oil from three projects in the reserve-rich Guyana-Suriname Basin (area within dashed-green line). Owners of these assets want to roughly double that volume by the end of 2027 with three more projects. It’s worth noting that in 2000, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that the underexplored areas of the Suriname-Guyana Basin held 13.6 billion barrels of oil and 32 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas. But Guyana isn’t the only country with plans to develop those reserves.
Figure 1. The Guyana-Suriname Basin and the Stabroek Block. Source: RBN
The Guyana-Suriname Basin stretches across three countries on the Atlantic coast of South America: Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The oil-rich formation has an onshore segment but is predominantly an offshore play. Suriname has been extracting minimal amounts of crude oil from the onshore basin since the 1980s but the former Dutch colony wants to raise its profile as a petroleum supplier with its offshore oil bonanza, mirroring its neighbor’s success. (Suriname’s maritime border indicated by dashed-pink line in Figure 1.)
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About the song
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was written by Brian Wilson, Tony Asher and Mike Love. It appears as the first song on side one of The Beach Boys’ 11th studio album, Pet Sounds. Released as a single, with the B-side being “God Only Knows,” in July 1966, it went to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Brian Wilson was inspired to write the song by his infatuation with his sister-in-law, Diane Rovell of The Honeys. The song was recorded between January-April 1966 at Gold Star and Columbia in Hollywood. In addition to The Beach Boys, 16 studio musicians were utilized to achieve the final recording of the song. Personnel on the record were: Brian Wilson (lead, backing vocals), Mike Love (bridge and outro lead vocal, backing vocals), Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Bruce Johnston (backing vocals), Hal Blaine (drums), Barney Kessell (12-string mando-guitar), Carol Kaye (bass), Larry Knechtel (tack piano), Al de Lory (grand piano), Bill Pittman (acoustic guitar), Jerry Cole (electric 12-string guitar), Ray Pohlman (Danelectro six-string bass), Lyle Ritz (acoustic bass), Frank Capp (timpani, jingle stick, glockenspiel), Carl Fortina, Frank Morocco (accordion), Roy Caton (trumpet), Steve Douglas, Plas Johnson (tenor sax), and Jay Mighori (baritone sax).
Pet Sounds was recorded between July 1965 and April 1966 at Western, Gold Star, and Columbia studios in Hollywood, with Brian Wilson producing. Released in May 1966, it went to #10 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Four singles were released from the LP.
The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, CA, in 1961. They have released 29 studio albums and nine archival albums. The band has sold over 100 million records worldwide to date and has won two Grammy Awards; three of their songs are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Brian Wilson still records and tours. Mike Love fronts a touring version of the Beach Boys that is currently touring the U.S.
