Port Fourchon, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Port Fourchon is Louisiana’s southernmost port, located on the southern tip of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
, on the Gulf of Mexico
. It is a sea port, with significant petroleum
industry traffic from offshore Gulf oil platform
s and drilling rig
s as well as the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port
pipeline. Fourchon's primary service markets are domestic deepwater oil and gas exploration, drilling, and production in the Gulf of Mexico. Port Fourchon currently services over 90% of the Gulf of Mexico's deepwater oil production. There are over 600 oil platform
s within a 40-mile radius of Port Fourchon. This area furnishes 16 to 18 percent of the US
oil supply.
Port Fourchon is part of the Houma
–Bayou Cane
–Thibodaux
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
The Board of Commissioners of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission is charged with ensuring the progress and continued development of Port Fourchon and the South Lafourche Leonard Miller, Jr. Airport. Nine members seated at-large comprise the Commission in lettered seats A through I. Every six years, the people of the Tenth Ward of Lafourche Parish elect all nine commissioners.
The Greater Lafourche Port Commission, established by the state of Louisiana in 1960 as a political subdivision of the state of Louisiana, exercises jurisdiction over the Tenth Ward of Lafourche Parish south of the Intracoastal Waterway, including the seaport and the airport. The Port Commission facilitates the economic growth of the communities in which it operates by maximizing the flow of trade and commerce, largely through Port Fourchon.
(LA 1), the road to Grand Isle, Louisiana
, via Louisiana Highway 3090
. It is the southernmost point of Louisiana accessible by automobile.
As a critical infrastructure of national significance, LA1 provides a vital link to Port Fourchon. As of mid-2008, $350 million from state bonds and federal assistance has been budgeted to begin replacing a 17-mile (27-km) stretch of LA 1, the road into Port Fourchon, because that part of the highway is not inside the hurricane levee system that protects inland communities, and the highway is prone to flooding from storm surge
, even from tropical cyclones some distance away. The replacement will be an elevated highway that can stand up to a major storm and remain open even if the land around it floods. A seven-mile (11-km) section of the project from Leeville to Port Fourchon, including a higher bridge across Bayou Lafourche
, is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2011; this segment will be funded by tolls. The bridge over Bayou Lafourche, funded by tolls, opened July 8, 2009. Funds have not been secured for the segment between Golden Meadow
and Leeville.
broadcasted on June 7, 2005 the docudrama
Oil Storm
, which first depicted a fictional Category 4 hurricane named "Julia" hitting Port Fourchon in September 2005. In the fictional account, the port was severely crippled, but in reality Port Fourchon has been up and running mere days after major storm events.
Port Fourchon was damaged by Hurricane Lili
in October 2002. It did not take a direct hit by Hurricane Katrina
in 2005, and was only slightly damaged.
Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Lafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux...
, on the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. It is a sea port, with significant petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
industry traffic from offshore Gulf oil platform
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
s and drilling rig
Drilling rig
A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
s as well as the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port
Louisiana Offshore Oil Port
The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port is a deepwater port in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana near the town of Port Fourchon. LOOP provides tanker offloading and temporary storage services for crude oil transported on some of the largest tankers in the world. Most tankers offloading at LOOP...
pipeline. Fourchon's primary service markets are domestic deepwater oil and gas exploration, drilling, and production in the Gulf of Mexico. Port Fourchon currently services over 90% of the Gulf of Mexico's deepwater oil production. There are over 600 oil platform
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
s within a 40-mile radius of Port Fourchon. This area furnishes 16 to 18 percent of the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
oil supply.
Port Fourchon is part of the Houma
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
–Bayou Cane
Bayou Cane, Louisiana
Bayou Cane is a census-designated place in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 17,046 at the 2000 census.Bayou Cane is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Terrebonne and Lafourche...
–Thibodaux
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Metropolitan Area
The Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Acadiana region of southern Louisiana that covers two parishes - Lafourche and Terrebonne...
.
History
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.The Board of Commissioners of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission is charged with ensuring the progress and continued development of Port Fourchon and the South Lafourche Leonard Miller, Jr. Airport. Nine members seated at-large comprise the Commission in lettered seats A through I. Every six years, the people of the Tenth Ward of Lafourche Parish elect all nine commissioners.
The Greater Lafourche Port Commission, established by the state of Louisiana in 1960 as a political subdivision of the state of Louisiana, exercises jurisdiction over the Tenth Ward of Lafourche Parish south of the Intracoastal Waterway, including the seaport and the airport. The Port Commission facilitates the economic growth of the communities in which it operates by maximizing the flow of trade and commerce, largely through Port Fourchon.
Geography
Port Fourchon is a short distance off Louisiana Highway 1Louisiana Highway 1
Louisiana Highway 1 is a state highway in Louisiana. At 436.20 miles , it is the longest numbered highway of any class in Louisiana. It runs diagonally across the state, connecting the oil and gas fields near the island of Grand Isle with the northwest corner of the state, north of Shreveport.The...
(LA 1), the road to Grand Isle, Louisiana
Grand Isle, Louisiana
Grand Isle is a town in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, located on a barrier island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico. The island is at the mouth of Barataria Bay where it meets the gulf. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,541; during summers, the population sometimes increases to...
, via Louisiana Highway 3090
Louisiana Highway 3090
Louisiana Highway 3090 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Lafourche Parish. It spans in a south to north direction.-Route description:...
. It is the southernmost point of Louisiana accessible by automobile.
As a critical infrastructure of national significance, LA1 provides a vital link to Port Fourchon. As of mid-2008, $350 million from state bonds and federal assistance has been budgeted to begin replacing a 17-mile (27-km) stretch of LA 1, the road into Port Fourchon, because that part of the highway is not inside the hurricane levee system that protects inland communities, and the highway is prone to flooding from storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
, even from tropical cyclones some distance away. The replacement will be an elevated highway that can stand up to a major storm and remain open even if the land around it floods. A seven-mile (11-km) section of the project from Leeville to Port Fourchon, including a higher bridge across Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Lafourche, originally called Chetimachas River, is a bayou in southeastern Louisiana, United States, that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The first settlements of Acadians in southern Louisiana were near Bayou Lafourche and Bayou des Écores, which led to a close association of the bayou with...
, is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2011; this segment will be funded by tolls. The bridge over Bayou Lafourche, funded by tolls, opened July 8, 2009. Funds have not been secured for the segment between Golden Meadow
Golden Meadow, Louisiana
Golden Meadow is a town along Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,193 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its main source of revenue is revenue from property tax, sales tax, and...
and Leeville.
Hurricanes
In an odd twist of fate, FX NetworksFX Networks
FX is the name of a number of related pay television channels owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group...
broadcasted on June 7, 2005 the docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
Oil Storm
Oil Storm
Oil Storm is a 2005 television docudrama portraying a future oil-shortage crisis in the United States, precipitated by a hurricane destroying key parts of the United States' oil infrastructure...
, which first depicted a fictional Category 4 hurricane named "Julia" hitting Port Fourchon in September 2005. In the fictional account, the port was severely crippled, but in reality Port Fourchon has been up and running mere days after major storm events.
Port Fourchon was damaged by Hurricane Lili
Hurricane Lili
Hurricane Lili was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season for the United States. Lili was the twelfth named storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm developed from a tropical disturbance in the open...
in October 2002. It did not take a direct hit by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005, and was only slightly damaged.