Offshore staff
PORT FOURCHON – Port Fourchon’s main transportation waterways have now been cleared in the wake of Hurricane Ida and are now open with conditional access, according to Houma Today.
The Coast Guard announced on Sept. 3 that it is allowing conditional access to Port Fourchon’s waterways, including the main one, Belle Pass, with restrictions for daylight operations only.
“We have done what many thought impossible,” said Port Fourchon Executive Director Chett Chiasson. “We have regained access to our main channel in less than a week following a hurricane that blasted our port with an estimated 12- to 14-foot storm surge as well as wind gusts in excess of 190 mph.”
But, he noted, a lot of work remains to bring the port’s operations back online completely. As of Sept. 2, there were no major obstructions in any of Port Fourchon’s main waterways, Chiasson said. Crews were still surveying the smaller channels.
“Assuming we get really good information from that, we should have some access via waterway into Port Fourchon south of the Floatation Canal into the Gulf,” Chiasson said. “I expected the worst, but when I flew over Port Fourchon two days ago, it didn’t look as bad as I thought. That’s why we’re able to get things back up and running.”
The South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport in Galliano also operational, Chiasson said.
09/07/2021
