Intermoor touts region’s largest crane, the Cajun Lifter

Eugenie "Ann" Wise Boulet
April 2, 2008
Getting fit for the beach; good books to take along
April 4, 2008
Eugenie "Ann" Wise Boulet
April 2, 2008
Getting fit for the beach; good books to take along
April 4, 2008

Intermoor Inc., a sub-sea mooring service, is making plans to expand services to its offshore oil and gas customers with a new $20 million facility and a $4 million crane lift.


Owned by United Kingdom-based Acteon Group Unlimited, a group of engineering companies, Intermoor has offices in Amelia and Port Fourchon.


The Amelia office is a fabrication facility that specializes in anchor and installation aid. The site includes a large, covered manufacturing area and a high-tech cutting machine. Fourchon is the bigger facility where majority of the mooring is done, according to company officials.

Since 1987, the company has been the leading supplier of mooring technology providing innovative solutions for rig moves and mooring services including engineering and design, fabrication and sub-sea installation, according to Intermoor Inc. President Tom Fulton.


Fourchon facility manager Wayne St. Pierre Sr. is a native of Lafourche Parish. He has worked in Port Fourchon since the mid-1980s, when mooring services were in high demand.


“I’ve been here. I’ve watched the port grow and I feel that Intermoor is a big addition to the port and to the growth of the economy,” St. Pierre said.

In mid-1980, Intermoor operated out of various port sites along Fourchon. As the demand grew, Fulton said the company had to acquire its own facility to better serve customers.


“We couldn’t keep counting on the other facilities allowing us to use their space, and we couldn’t keep our customers waiting either,” he said. “So we knew we had to acquire our own space.”


By mid-1990, the company was spread out over eight acres of land in Port Fourchon. Fulton said that was good for a while, but steady advancement in technology and equipment forced the company to once again look for a bigger space to accommodate it’s continued growth.

In December 2007, the company opened the doors to its new 25-acre digs.


“We came to Port Fourchon when it was small and by investing in the company, we are showing a commitment to the community and our employees,” Fulton said.

The new $20 million facility includes more than 1,200 square feet of bulkhead waterfront dock space, a warehouse, office and training centers and heavy lifting area.

“With this new facility we are trying to do things more efficiently. We have a lot more room to get our customers in and out quickly so that they can continue their projects,” the company president said.

Project costs have been the biggest concern with offshore companies for the past few years, and with the use of technology from Lafayette-based WellCut, one of the world’s leading well abandonment contractors, Intermoor has reduced those costs, Fulton said.

Technology is the cornerstone of the mooring business, according to Fulton. With the company’s investment in new tools and techniques, Intermoor gains the ability to undertake the toughest abandonment projects and still focus on the customer’s needs.

“We are a servicing company and the whole idea is to provide the right solution to our customers, whether its bringing down the cost of abandonment process, carrying out the work as safely and quickly as possible or ensuring long-term integrity of the chosen abandonment solution,” Fulton said.

Other services available through Intermoor include offshore platform decommissioning and sub-sea live well intervention backed by a range of advanced severance tools. Severance is an area where the company is particularly strong because they possess a range of proven tools for cutting platform piles and structural members, well conductors and casings, according to Fulton.

However, the centerpiece of the 25-acre facility is the new 880-ton crane called the Cajun Lifter. The $4 million piece of equipment is the largest crane of its type on the Gulf Coast.

According to Fulton, the main advantage of such a large crane is not necessarily its lifting capacity, but the ability to place cargo after lifting it from a vessel.

“With our old cranes, you have to put cargo right on the dock,” Fulton said. “With the new crane, we can move loads further out, which gives us increased storage capacity without having to move loads on transporters.”

Intermoor Inc.celebrated the grand opening of its new 25-acre, $20 million facility Thursday. Intermoor’s Fourchon facility manager Wayne St. Pierre Sr. (left) and his son, assistant manager, Wayne St. Pierre Jr. (far right), were joined by 54th District State Representative Jerry “Truck” Gisclair (center) for the ribbon cutting. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN