Posted by: Louisiana Oil & Gas Association

by Jen DeGregorio, The Times-Picayune

Friday May 22, 2009, 5:53 PM

With the oil industry pushing ever faster and farther into the Gulf of Mexico to find fuel, Port Fourchon is planning a 400-acre expansion to bring more business into the already massive hub at the tip of Lafourche Parish.

The project would cut a 7,000-foot long slip, a length equivalent to about 19 football fields lined back to back, through marshland behind the port’s existing campus. Dock space and other grounds would be built around the channel to house the influx of oil-service companies officials expect to pour into the port. Lafourche Parish’s Edison Chouest Offshore, a vessel supplier that is the port’s biggest tenant, has already expressed interest in leasing even more space along the new channel, said Ted Falgout, director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission.

“The whole thing changed here overnight,” Falgout said, describing the port’s rapid transformation into a nerve center for the offshore industry.

In the early 1990s, Port Fourchon consisted of just a few hundred acres and a small slip, achannel where boats can tie up to docks and also use to reach open waterways. But oil companies began pressing into the Gulf in 1995, after Congress gave a break on royalty payments for offshore fuel production. Capitalizing on its waterfront position, Port Fourchon became an epicenter for the businesses that feed offshore production companies with supplies and labor.

By 1999, Port Fourchon had dredged another slip and was gearing up to build a third. Facilities were being leased faster than the port could construct them. In 2001, the port launched a a second expansion, with room for two additional slips on 700 acres.

Map: The expansion of Port Fourchon.

On Thursday, construction workers were busy pouring concrete into massive blocks that will be used to reinforce the second of those slips. Huge vessels were already lined up along the 7,000-foot long channel, and the last of its dock space should be ready for leasing in the next two years, Falgout said.

By that time, Falgout hopes construction will be well underway on the port’s latest expansion. The permit is making its way through the various state and federal agencies charged with regulating development in the state’s coastal zone.

Louisiana is losing its coastal marshland at an alarming rate, the equivalent of a football field of land every half hour, by some estimates. Attempting to stem the loss, the state requires companies developing in the wetlands to offset any damage with mitigation projects, often in the form of mandates to build wetlands elsewhere.

Port Fourchon’s primary mitigation project has been the construction of a forested ridge along the northern span of the port, between Bayou Lafourche and Louisiana 1. About 6,000 feet have already gone up, and the port wants to take the ridge farther to mitigate for the expansion, Falgout said.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, however, is worried that the ridge will damage fish populations in the area and has asked port officials to alter the project, Falgout said. Port officials are working on changes and plan to resubmit the permit and seek public comment in the weeks ahead.

Aaron Viles, campaign director for the Gulf Restoration Network, said agencies should carefully weigh the decision to let Port Fourchon grow.

“Clearly it’s an important facility, and it’s important to the nation,” Viles said. “But if we are being incredibly diligent about mitigation and restoration projects, we send a troublingly inconsistent message when we say we need coastal resources to restore our coast, and then let industry expand.”

http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2009/05/port_fourchon_plans_400acre_ex.html

LAFAYETTE, LA – The Lafayette Chapter of Young Professionals in Energy (YPE), along with the Lafayette Chapter of Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Young Professionals (SPE YP), hosted their “Louisiana Senior Leadership Reception” on May 14, 2009 at the Petroleum Club in Lafayette, LA.

Young professionals interested in advancing their careers received words of wisdom from an elite group of executives who have managed to work their way to the top by surviving the trials and tribulations of the energy industry. The event, sponsored by Baker Hughes, Schlumberger and Chevron, allowed each executive to host their own informal dinner discussion, with topics ranging from entrepreneurship, to exploration and development. Recent graduates preparing to enter the workforce, and up and coming professionals currently working in the industry, were given a rare opportunity to speak one-on-one with each discussion leader.

“I’ve asked every question I could possibly ask,” said Wole Olukoya, a UL Lafayette Petroleum Engineering Student. “The type of information I received tonight from these executives was priceless.”

Some executives shared personal stories and gave tips on how to prepare for a long career, while others gave valuable opinions on the future of the energy industry.

“We were truly amazed at how eager and excited the executives were to participate,” said Scott Hou, a Reservoir Engineer with Stone Energy and event coordinator. “We started contacting companies, and within two days we had a long list of confirmed executives. It was a huge success, and I am truly amazed at how quickly our YPE Lafayette Chapter has grown.”

The reception marked the last event in a series of YPE and SPE YP sponsored events aimed at fostering networking and personal development opportunities for young professionals working in Lafayette’s energy industry. Senior leaders were also awarded for their participation as guest speakers in previous events.

Executives participating in the Louisiana Senior Leadership Reception were: William Bailey (Partner, Gordon Arata McCollam Duplantis & Eagan); Keith Grimes (CEO, Hamilton Group); Mark Hatfield (General Manager, Chevron); Don Briggs (President, Louisiana Oil and Gas Association); Charles Goodson (CEO, PetroQuest); Rick Fowler ( Vice President, LLOG Exploration); Rich Smith (Senior Vice President, Stone Energy); James Slatten (Chief Operating Officer, LEED Petroleum); Cheryl Collarini (President, Collarini Energy); Claude Thorp (Vice President, Atlantis E&P); Richard Williams (President, Baker Hughes Gulf of Mexico); and Bill Crenshaw (President, Corridor & Associates).

For more information on future events, or to join the Lafayette Chapter of Young Professionals in Energy, go to: www.ypenergy.com