Port Fourchon's proximity to the drilling activity in the Central Gulf of Mexico makes it a cost-effective option for drilling rig companies in need of rig repair and refurbishment facilities. Port Fourchon's location allows its users to save hundreds of thousands of dollars every year by decreasing tow time and turnaround time for rigs moving in for repair. And in this business, saving time means saving money.

Recent channel improvements, the creation of 700-foot-wide slips, and the construction of a major rig repair facility in the port's Northern Expansion area have positioned Port Fourchon to attract a substantial amount of this drilling rig repair business.

In October 2003, Louisiana voters passed Constitutional Amendment No. 8, which enables individual parishes to remove the ad valorem tax on drilling rigs located in Louisiana for repair or refurbishment. In January 2004, Lafourche Parish voters became the first in the state to repeal this tax, thereby enhancing Port Fourchon's ability to economically accommodate rig repair business.

With the abolition of the drilling rig ad valorem tax and the construction of rig repair facilities in the Northern Expansion, Fourchon has positioned itself to be the most cost-effectve location for the servicing of drilling rigs in the Gulf. The Commission is committed to working with private interests to design and build facilities and infrastructure that will most effectively meet the needs of drilling companies for the repair and refurbishment of drilling rigs in Port Fourchon.