Hebron project an economic boon for Marystown

The Hebron oilfield may be hundreds of miles offshore, but the benefits from its construction are definitely being felt on the Burin Peninsula.

The Kiewet facility in Marystown is building part of the topsides for Hebron, which means hundreds of well-paying jobs and revenue for the area.

The boom in work creates traffic jams on the road in an out of the Kiewet site, and workers can be seen sprinting to their cars at the end of shift to get ahead of the snarl.

At peak operation, Kiewit employs more than 1,000 workers at the facility, many of which are high-paying jobs.

Having all of those workers in the town spending their hard-earned money has been welcome news for local businesses.

Hanford Wong of Wongs' Family Restaurant said he is definitely noticing a spike in business.

"We see a lot of higher up executives coming in," he said. 

"We see more people, locals, working at the yard who are getting their meals before going to work or after work."

Optimistic about the future

Across town at the Burin campus of College of the North Atlantic, trades students go through their programs with goals of getting a job at the shipyard.

Campus administrator Stephen Warren said that dream is still within reach.

"Through the years Keiwit has hired a lot of our students, and they continue to do so," he said.

"They've stated on a number of occasions that they are happy with our graduates."

Marystown has seen several swings in the local economy over the years, but Hanford Wong is optimistic that business will continue long after the Hebron work is finished this fall.

"There's always people working away in Alberta, there's always turnarounds," he said.

"The area has always prospered. It probably won't do as well, but we'll never go out of business, I don't think."