Tuesday, May 4
May 4, 2010Thursday, May 6
May 6, 2010The Greater Lafourche Port Commission celebrated its 50th anniversary and the unprecedented growth of Port Fourchon on Saturday by hosting an open house.
Several hundred individuals turned out for the celebration, which included speeches by public officials as well as free food, drink and music. The commission also debuted its new marketing video and provided free tours of the port and the South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport.
A number of public officials were on hand for the event including U.S. Congressman Charlie Melancon, state Sen. Norby Chabert, state Rep. Jerry “Truck” Gisclair and Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph, as well as several current and former commission members. Representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Mary Landrieu and David Vitter were also on hand.
In his opening remarks, commission Executive Director Chett Chaisson acknowledged the growth of the port and its core mission to “serve the oil and gas industry.”
“That’s what we do here and due to our central location on the Gulf, it has poised us for even more growth in the future,” he said.
Chiasson also thanked the taxpayers of the 10th Ward, who provide a portion of the port’s budget through ad valorem taxes.
“It’s through the support of this community that this commission has accomplished all it has through the years,” he noted.
Commissioner Larry Griffin said the commission has a $77 million annual budget.
More than 15,000 workers use the port as a base of operations for work in the Gulf of Mexico, he noted.
Chabert agreed the port is pivotal, noting its role in the ongoing BP spill.
“Oil and gas has been very good to this area,” Chabert said. “It will be men and women from this area, many times using this port, who, along with our friends and neighbors from surrounding areas, who will do the work to fix the problem in the Gulf and to protect this area’s economy and its way of life.”
Port Fourchon was born out of a vision to create an economic engine in the region, according to Gisclair.
Proof that the vision has been realized is evident in the region’s low unemployment rate, Randolph said.
“This area has one of the very lowest unemployment rates in the nation and a big reason why is Port Fourchon and all the opportunities it afford people for jobs and a bright future.”
Located near the mouth of Bayou Lafourche, Port Fourchon services about 90 percent of all deepwater rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. It is also the host for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP).
Billions of dollars worth of oil and natural gas are tied to the port via the LOOP and the offshore platforms the port services, Chaisson said.
