Port Fourchon positions for future GoM E&P
David Paganie
While the offshore industry was dormant, BP, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), and others were busy building facilities in preparation for the industry’s revival. When this time finally came, the port found itself ready for business, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and good channel, Falgout says.
The first major port tenant, Martin Fuel, opened for business in 1979. Today, the facility is home to more than 130 tenants.
Ideal location
Major port tenants with operations based at the facility include companies that provide logistics support, drilling fluids, food services, rig repair and construction, helicopter transportation, offshore support and construction, etc. Many of these service providers have chosen to establish a base at Fourchon mainly because of the port’s close proximity to open waters in the central Gulf.
Port Fourchon spans across 3,600 acres of industrial development property. Its 700 acres of developed land sits on the mouth of Bayou Lafourche, which empties into the GoM via the Belle Pass channel.
Belle Pass is designed to accommodate all supply vessels and a large portion of the drilling rig fleet, with a channel that measures 2,600 ft long, 300 ft wide, and 24 ft deep within the port and 26 ft deep inside the jetty system.
Belle Pass provides access to facilities in Pass Fourchon, the E-Slip, and the Northern Expansion via Floatation Canal. Pass Fourchon is a 20-ft deep channel, ideal for supporting shelf activities, while the E-Slip, Northern Expansion, Flotation Canal and Bayou Lafourche all provide access to port facilities via a 23-ft deep channel designed to accommodate deep-draft supply vessels and drilling rigs suited for supporting deepwater developments.
The E-Slip, a 500-ft wide and 23-ft deep slip, is situated on 400 acres of elevated land in the heart of Port Fourchon, providing over 7,000 ft of developed waterfront property, ideal for a wide range of oil exploration and production needs. Construction on the slip began in 1984, and its acreage was sold out by 2000, 30 years ahead of schedule.
The port’s proximity to the GoM offers several advantages, including time saved in transportation in and out of the port, which decreases mobilization and downtime costs. The facility is farther south than any other similar-type base in Louisiana; approximately 18 mi and 56 mi farther south than Venice and Cameron, respectively. According to the port, average transit time to the open Gulf is around 20 min.
Previous Page
|
Next Page
Page 2 of 7
Volume 66 Issue 3
March 2006
Add RSS Feed