The Port of Fourchon is located on the Gulf of Mexico at the southern end of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, about 58 miles southeast of New Orleans. Primarily a seaport for traffic of the petroleum industry, there are more than 600 oil platforms that provide almost a fifth of the United States’ oil supply within a 40-mile radius of Port Fourchon. In addition to the petroleum function, Port Fourchon is also base for some fishing boats. While it sustained damage during the 2002 Hurricane Lili, Port Fourchon was not hit by 2005’s Hurricane Katriina that destroyed much of New Orleans.

The Greater Lafourche Port Commission is a political subdivision of the State of Louisiana, and it is charged with maximizing the flow of trade and facilitating commerce and economic growth of Louisiana communities where it operates. Established in 1960 by an act of the State legislature, the Commission has jurisdiction over the area that includes Port Fourchon.

Historically the land base for offshore oil services and for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), Port Fourchon has also been a center for recreational and commercial fishing, a shipping terminal for foreign cargo, and a unique tourist destination. It is not generally thought of as a traditional port.

In 2004, Port Fourchon tenants handled about 20 million tons of cargo, over 95% of which was related to oil and gas production. About a third of all tonnage comes to and from Port Fourchon by inland barge before it is transferred to/from an offshore vessel. The remaining cargo comes and goes by vehicle or helicopter.

Most of the commodities handled at Port Fourchon are liquid bulk like oilfield fluids, cement, fuel, and heavy waters. Cargoes commonly transported to/from Port Fourchon by vehicle include machinery, people, dry bulk, pipe, food, specialty tools, and garbage. Over a thousand trucks travel in and out of Port Fourchon every day.

The main barge route to Port Fourchon is through Bayou Lafourche, and barge traffic has increased at about the same rate as truck traffic. Port Fourchon is undergoing rapid growth today as a result of increased oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico. Of over 160 current and planned deepwater projects, over half use Port Fourchon as their service base, including repairing and refurbishing oil rigs. Projections suggest that, in the future, Port Fourchon will support 60% of all Gulf drilling rig activity for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Clearly, Port Fourchon is the major base for deepwater Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production.

Today, Port Fourchon occupies 600 developed acres containing state-of-the-art facilities. Over 250 companies use the Port as a base of operations. Port Fourchon contains the E-Slip that provides over 18 thousand feet of developed waterfront to support mineral exploration and production. Bell Pass is a 1200-foot wide jetty system with 27 feet depth. The channel in the center of the pass is 300 feet wide.

The Port Commission is responding to the need for larger and deeper draft vessels by enlarging, widening, and deepening its channels. To this end, the Commission acquired four thousand acres north of the E-Slip for expansion. Currently in Phase I of the Northern Expansion, they are developing a 700-acre area with 180 acres of non-waterfront property and 520 acres with 21 thousand feet of water frontage.

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) is the country’s only super port serving as a central unloading and distribution hub for incoming supertankers. Located 19 miles southeast, it uses Port Fourchon as its land base.

About 270 large vessels use the port’s channels every day, and about 15 thousand people a month work at offshore locations that Port Fourchon supports. Over 1200 trucks travel in and out of Port Fourchon each day, and 675 million barrels of crude oil travel through the port by pipeline each year.

Fishers and hikers find that Port Fourchon offers some of the best fishing in the coastal marshes and makes a perfect location for bird watching. Port Fourchon is in the heart of Louisiana’s Central District that leads the State in seafood landings. Because it is so near Gulf of Mexico fishing areas, it offers world-class recreational fishing opportunities including crabbing along the beach, shoreline and surf fishing, or deep sea charter fishing. You can find more information on fishing opportunities at the Lafourche Charter Fishing website.

Port Fourchon offers a free public recreational boat launch with a pavilion and restrooms as well as road access to a three-mile long sand beach.

Louisiana’s Fourchon and Grand Isle support flocks of migratory birds. The Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary Program and the Grand Isle Sanctuary Group jointly sponsor a Migratory Bird Festival every year to celebrate the spring migration. It is said that birders can spot more bird species here in one visit during migrations than at any other North American spot.