Rowan’s dock in Port Fourchon sits on 35 acres of land on a 213-m (700-ft) wide slip in the northern expansion area. “The No. 1 reason why we are in Fourchon is its proximity to our customers on the OCS,” say Derek Necaise and Dan Moore with Rowan.
Rowan envisions the facility serving a number of needs for independents and majors. “Our original aim was for this dock to be multi-purpose, not just a rig repair and refurbishment center,” Necaise says. “When we built this dock we had in mind that we could service Rowan rigs and other major drilling contractors. We have storage space, office space, fuel, water, crane capability, and we have the right water depth. We can do rig modifications, upgrades, final fit, whatever they want.”
The dock comprises 457 m (1,500 ft) of bulkhead with a 7-m (24-ft) draft, 1.7 million gallons of diesel fuel and 2 million gallons of fresh water capacity, three 136-metric ton (150-short ton) crawler crane paths, two 45-metric ton (50-short ton) LeTourneau electric cranes, on a 213-m (700-ft) wide slip, which, according to Necaise, is ideal for moving jackups in and out simultaneously.
The dock has five fuel stations and four water stations capable of pumping 2,700 gal/min of fuel and 3,000 gal/min of water.
The facility is on the highest point in the port, which has a number of benefits. The dock’s edges to rise up through the center of the facility to allow for efficient drainage, which is important for an area prone to hurricane impact and flooding. “After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the port used our dock for their emergency equipment,” Necaise says.
For additional safety, the facility’s electrical equipment is underground beneath a multi-layer of geo-tech fabric, sand, and limestone. According to Moore, this multi-layer also provides protection against damage from heavy loads.
In addition, the facility’s lighting, says Moore, is second to none at the port.
Fourchon is an ideal location for final outfitting of our rigs, Moore says. “There is immense cost savings for final outfitting at Fourchon rather than at Sabine because of the shorter distance the rig has to travel,” he says. Most of Rowan’s rigs are outfitted at its yard in Sabine Pass, Texas, but Fourchon is much closer to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where most of its rigs are built.
“We do a lot of the final fitting of our rigs in Sabine, but that’s not to say that most of this work won’t be done in Fourchon in the future,” adds Necaise. “It’s just been in the last six months to a year that our dock has been taking shape into the facility that we’ve always planned for. This is a perfect place for rig repair and for final fitting of our rigs.”
While Rowan says it is positioned to serve its customers in need of rig repair, fuel, and water supply, the company believes, according to Moore, it still may need to grow. “We have talked to the port about expanding our facility, or even expanding the slip, depending on the markets’ needs.”
