Port Fourchon was developed as a multi-use facility. It has historically been a land base for offshore oil support services as well as a land base for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). In addition, it has served as a commercial and recreational fishing mecca, foreign cargo shipping terminal, and a unique area for recreation and tourism. It is difficult to measure the significance of Port Fourchon by a single standard such as tons of cargo, barrels of oil, worth of seafood, or number of recreational users. No all-encompassing method exists to measure Fourchon’s activity against the more traditional port.

While the types of cargo handled in Port Fourchon have not varied widely over the last several years, the volume of tonnage transferred at the Port has increased dramatically with the rapid expansion of the Port. Tenants transfer approximately 25 million tons of cargo per year.

The overwhelming majority (over 95%) of tonnage handled at the Port is oil and gas related. Every widget and gadget needed to support the oil and gas industry is handled as cargo. It moves through container, bulk, breakbulk, and just about every method imaginable. Approximately 30% of total tonnage travels to and from the Port by inland barge before being transferred to or from an offshore supply vessel, and 70% travels to and from the Port by vehicle before being transferred to or from an offshore supply vessel or helicopter. The commodities commonly barged are liquid bulk commodities such as oilfield fluids, heavy waters (CaCl2), cement, and fuel. Most other commodities are moved to and from the Port via vehicle. The most common vehicular transported cargoes include machinery, pipe, personnel, dry bulk, food, garbage, and specialty tools. Truck traffic studies have shown that at times over 1200 trucks per day travel in and out of Port Fourchon. Inland barge traffic through Bayou Lafourche, the main barge route to the Port, has experienced paralleled increase with truck traffic.

Port Fourchon is experiencing unprecedented growth as a direct result of oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico. New technological advances and Deepwater Royalty Relief tax incentives unleashed a new frontier in the oil and gas industry — Deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Huge amounts of hydrocarbons are being discovered in waters deeper than 1,000 feet. Most forecasts predict that the deepwater Gulf of Mexico has more oil and gas than any other domestic find. In the MMS report entitled Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Production Forecast: 2009-2018, Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil production is expected to increase to well over 1.6 million barrels of oil per day. GOM gas production is expected to yield 7 billion cubic feet per day. This MMS report predicts Gulf of Mexico production will continue to be strong, with a large portion coming from deepwater projects.

Of the over 165 current and pending deepwater projects that have been identified to date, over 50% are using or plan to use Port Fourchon as their service base. The discovery of new prospects is growing at a rate of 17% per year. Most forecasts indicate that the longevity of this activity is in excess of 40 years.

Additionally, Port Fourchon’s proximity to the Gulf provides a strategic logistical advantage for servicing drilling rigs, and the passage by Louisiana voters of Constitutional Amendment Number 8 further advances the Port’s ability to attract the drilling rig repair and refurbishment market.

The Economic Analysis included in the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Port Fourchon Channel Improvements projects that 60% of all the drilling rig activity off of the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coast will be in the Port Fourchon service area for the next 30 years. Port Fourchon alone services 90% of deepwater structures. Over 50% of pending deepwater structures will have Port Fourchon as their service base. These figures clearly show that Port Fourchon is the major service base for deepwater Gulf production.