Oil & Industry 2019 by The Courier and Daily Comet

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THE COURIER / DAILY COMET Thursday, September 26, 2019 B1

OIL & INDUSTRY State economist predicts job growth Area may get over 4,500 new jobs by 2021 By Julia Arenstam Staff Writer

The Houma-Thibodaux area is projected to be the secondfastest growing economy in the state over the next two years. Louisiana economist and LSU professor emeritus Loren Scott is projecting 1.8% employment growth in 2020 and 3.5% growth in 2021, or over 4,500 new jobs. Scott presented his annual Economic Outlook to local business and industry leaders at the Cypress Columns in Gray Wednesday. The event was sponsored by the South Louisiana Economic Council. The economist is making two “heroic assumptions” this year: an economic boom period is going to continue through 2019, 2020 and 2021; and a spurt is about to happen in the Gulf of

Mexico. The Houma-Thibodaux area lost 17.5% of its jobs since 2014, Scott said. Employment had just begun to grow in 2018, and while local employment numbers tracked by the Louisiana Workforce Commission suggest employment is going down again, Scott said it doesn’t track with what he’s hearing from employers. Companies such as Danos, Grand Isle Shipyard, Chett Morrison, Edison Chouest, Thoma Sea, Bollinger and Gulf Island are expanding employment, he said, projecting the commission will later make “major revisions” to its employment data. Port Fourchon is also continuing to expand, with two slip expansions in the works and a major airport road project now fully financed. Fabricators, on the other hand, aren’t expected to rebound in the same way because of how oil companies are starting to tie in

new wells to existing rigs, rather than build new ones. Scott also pointed to traffic data at the La. 1 toll location in Leeville. While the numbers flattened out for the 2018 and 2019 fiscal years, traffic has started to decrease according to 2019 monthly totals, he said. With new money coming in to finish the elevation of La. 1, Scott said the only way to get the last $150 million in needed federal money is to reelect President Donald Trump in 2020. In the oil and gas market, Scott predicts the price of oil will remain around $59 per barrel through 2021. He also expects production to continue increasing with a “spurt” on the horizon, keeping a lid on prices. Lease sales have increased 52% and bid amounts by 33%, Scott said. The economist is also predicting Chevron will finally crack the code of the Anchor field by the end of the year,

Louisiana economist and LSU professor emeritus Loren Scott presents his annual Economic Outlook at the Cypress Columns in Gray. [JULIA ARENSTAM/STAFF -- HOUMATODAY/ DAILYCOMET]

finding a way to drill in waters with 20,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, compared to the current 15,000-pound capacity. Natural gas, however, isn’t expected to fare as well. Scott predicts natural gas prices will continue to decline because the sheer amount of the resource far exceeds demand and ability to move it. There are not enough pipelines to

move the gas, and companies have begun just burning it on site, he said. Scott’s full Economic Outlook can is online at www. lsu.edu/business/eprg/ laeconomicoutlook. Staff Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliaArenstam.

Student interest in pursuing oilfield careers hasn't waned By Halle Parker Staff Writer

Workers handle pipe on BP’s Thunder Horse platform in the Gulf of Mexico about 160 miles southeast of Port Fourchon. [BP PHOTO]

International climate affecting local oil, gas industry By Julia Arenstam Staff Writer

The international trade climate could have a major effect on the oil and gas industry for the next six months, some economists say. David Dismukes, director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies, said the recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil production facilities has “put a murky wrench” in the center’s predictions for the oil industry. The attack on Sept. 17 took out 5.7 million barrels of crude oil per day, according to international media reports. Who is responsible for the attack continues to be hotly debate and could have long-term effects on the oil and gas industry. “It’s a tense period,” Dismukes said. “It will wind up increasing prices, but not for a good reason.” The international news comes just as Louisiana economists begin releasing their 2020 oil and gas market predictions. However the federal government reacts to the situation will have big impacts over the next 12 months, he said. The global uncertainty could drive up prices as producers start introducing risk-premiums, something that hasn’t been in play for a while. While there’s been some of the highest percentage increases in prices, prices overall have been relatively tame. The Brent Crude oil yearly average is just over $63 per barrel for 2019, averaging about $59 per barrel in August, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The EIA is forecasting Brent prices will average $60 per barrel in the fourth quarter of 2019 and rise to $62 per barrel in 2020. Over the past 12 months, however, the trends generally reflected a softening of energy demand and downward prices. Dismukes attributed a part of that to international trade uncertainties. If there is a resolution to these geo-political concerns, a rebound could kick in by the middle to end of next year, he said. Increased supplies from non-OPEC countries, including the U.S., have continued to play as a positive impact on the markets, Dismukes said. Production activity is slowing down, but there are also slowdowns in downstream activity, refining and petrochemical, Dismukes said. The liquefied natural gas market, which has been viewed as a quickly growing energy sector and presented new development opportunities in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, could also start to cool, he said. Yet, fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) still account for the largest share of energy consumption in the U.S. About 80% of both domestic energy production and consumption stemmed from fossil fules, according to a new report from the EIA. Many of the country’s top oil and gas companies made similar observations to Terrebonne and Lafourche area businesses this year. Executives from BP, Chevron and Shell have

all addressed members of the South Central Industrial Association about the state of the industry. BP committed to a $1.3 billion expansion at its Atlantis Phase 3 development, announced the discovery of 1.4 billion barrels of oil and anticipated growing exports by 100,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025. Chevron plans to drill more exploratory wells this year and continue large-scale deepwater projects. Shell announced it’s building a new $20 million offshore support warehouse in east Houma and opening a new pipeline operations center on La. 311 this year, further linking the company to Terrebonne Parish. Standardization was also a key theme from each presentation as the three major production companies work to reduce the break-even price of oil. The U.S. rig count is at 886, according to the latest count by Baker Hughes. That’s down by almost 170 from the same time last year. Overall U.S. employment rates are strong, but as many state leaders have noted, those numbers have not trickled down to Louisiana — let alone the state’s oil and gas sector. The Houma-Thibodaux area has waited years for employment to rebound. Over the last decade or so, employment has been less sensitive to oil prices changes as companies wait to lay off employees. Dismukes predicts oil and gas employment will remain level, if not

decrease slightly. According to the latest jobs report by the Louisiana Workforce Commission, jobs directly involved in oil and gas exploration and production totaled 6,200 in July, up 100 for the month and year. The category is down 1,600, or 21%, since August 2014 but has regained 79% of the jobs it lost since the bust began. In the oilfield-service sector, the area has regained nearly 90% of the jobs it lost during the oil bust. Last year, economist Loren Scott predicted the area would see 700 new jobs in 2019 and 2,100 in 2020, coming out of a trough in 2018. Scott and others have also noted the increased traffic heading into Port Fourchon, a major oil and gas hub, as a sign of the industry rebounding. Innovation and technology has long been the worry of American workers, fearing they’ll get laid off and replaced by a machine. While it can reduce employment, technology can also increase wages for those still working in the industry, thereby increasing payroll that gets re-invested in the local economy, Dismukes say. “To say it’s a bad thing is not accurate,” he said. Innovation is happening in all sectors of the energy industry, not just oil and gas. Staff Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliaArenstam.

With the advancement of technology and consolidation of roles, local education programs geared toward jobs in the oil and gas industry continue to adapt to employers’ needs to prepare students for the workforce. Nicholls State University and Fletcher Technical Community College professors say enrollment in their programs have remained steady, aside from dipping slightly after the oil bust in 2014. Despite fewer offshore drilling jobs in the Gulf of Mexico, the professors say their graduates don’t have an issue finding employment with their degrees or certifications. Professor Milton Saidu, the head of Nicholls’ Department of Petroleum Engineering Technology & Safety Management, said even though there are less offshore drilling platforms to work on, people in the Baby Boomer generation are retiring and creating openings. “Ideally we would want to increase enrollment because we want to replace the workforce,” he said. “We have a general notion that there’s going to be a job market shortage.” As a whole, Saidu said his department has about 200 students, with graduating classes of about 40. Fletcher Dean of STEM Clint Coleman said the school’s two-year Integrated Production Technologies associate’s degree program saw over 50 students enter this fall as freshmen. He said Fletcher hadn’t seen that number in a couple years. “There was a bit of a downturn, but there was never a situation where we felt we had to close up shop,” he said. “There was interest, it just wasn’t at the level that we’re seeing now.” Over the past five years, both institutions have seen their programs change, whether that’s by adding minors or new pieces to the curriculum. At Nicholls, Saidu said the university added minors in safety and exploration production to help students market themselves and give them options to fall back on if they’re unable to find a job due to the market. If a student enters the Nicholls program with the See SCHOOL, B9

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THE COURIER / DAILY COMET Thursday, September 26, 2019

Thursday, September 26, 2019 THE COURIER / DAILY COMET

The top 10 employers in Terrebonne By Dan Copp Staff Writer

Here are the top 10 employers in Terrebonne, based on the number of workers in each company. The Courier and Daily Comet created the list using information from the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority, other business groups and calls to institutions and companies. 1. Danos Employees 3,000 Started by Allen Danos Sr. over 60 years ago as a small tugboat manufacturer, the family-owned company has morphed into one of the largest oilfield businesses in the state. Danos has operations in the Gulf Coast, Eagle Ford, Permian Basin, Appalachians and Equatorial Guinea. The company relocated its headquarters from Larose to 3878 W. Main St. in Gray four years ago. The headquarters handles payroll, human resources, management and general operations. Workers at Danos, an oilﬁeld service company based in Gray, handle a job. The company is Terrebonne’s biggest employer. [DANOS]

2. Terrebonne Parish School Board Employees: 2,318 Terrebonne’s 35 schools employ teachers, administrative staff, bus drivers, food service workers and maintenance personnel. It pays the salaries of nine elected School Board members, who oversee the budget and make policies. The superintendent runs the administrative office at 201 Stadium Drive in Houma. The school district opened its $17.3 million, 88,000-squarefoot Southdown Elementary School in August. The new two-story school has 31 classrooms and can accommodate 600 students. 3. Terrebonne General Medical Center Employees: 1,400 The 300-bed health care facility at 8166 Main St., Houma, has more than 300 doctors and offers a multitude of services including cancer treatment, cardiovascular and respiratory, orthopedics and diabetes, neurology, pediatric and surgical care. The hospital is operated by a public board appointed by the Terrebonne Parish Council. 4. Terrebonne Parish government Employees: 1,180 After consolidating with Houma in 1984, Terrebonne Parish government includes staff at City Court, Public Works, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, and the Houma Fire and Police departments. The staff serves under the direct supervision of the Terrebonne Parish Council and Parish President Gordy Dove. Dove is in charge of Terrebonne’s executive branch and the nine-member council serves as the legislative branch. It is headquartered in Government Tower at 8026 Main St., Houma. 5. Catholic Diocese of HoumaThibodaux Employees: 1,086 The diocese, at 2779 La. 311 in Schriever, oversees Catholic churches, schools and cemeteries in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. Although it has a presence in St. Mary, Jefferson, St. Martin and Assumption parishes, most of its employees work in Terrebonne. It is led by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre.

Terrebonne Parish government is the parish’s fourth-largest employer. [THE COURIER AND DAILY COMET -- FILE]

7. Cardiovascular Institute of the South Employees: 810 Founded in 1983 by Dr. Craig Walker, CIS has grown to become a world-renown practice in state-of-the-art cardiovascular care. CIS has multiple locations across Louisiana and Mississippi. Its offices can be found locally at 225 Dunn St., Houma; 1320 Martin Luther King Drive, Thibodaux; and 102 Twin Oaks Drive, Raceland. 8. Gulf Island Fabrication Inc.

6. Crosby Energy Services Employees: 1,000 After launching in 1968 as C&D Wireline, the Houmabased Crosby Energy Services provides contract energy professionals and consultants to the oil and gas industry. The company at 4683 W. Park Ave. offers plant operators, specialized consultants, production operators, instrumentation and electrical operators, welders, electricians, pipeline personnel, equipment operators, maritime operators and clerical personnel.

Employees: 733 Headquartered in Texas, the company’s Houma location at 583 Thompson Road builds inshore and offshore oil platforms and ships. The company also provides project management, installation, hookup, commissioning, repair, maintenance and civil construction services. 9. Walmart Employees: 700 Walmart employs over 2.2 million full- and part-time workers around the world. The company’s total revenue last year was $514.4 billion.

With 733 employees, Gulf Island Fabrication in Houma is Terrebonne’s eighth-largest employer. [FILE -HOUMATODAY/DAILYCOMET]

It offers multiple services including groceries, auto repair, electronics and a pharmacy. There are Houma stores on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Grand Caillou Road, and a Sam’s Club on Martin Luther King Boulevard. 10. Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center Employees: 650 Managed by Ochsner Health System, the hospital at 1978 Industrial Blvd., Houma, provides services to uninsured people and clinic training to medical students and doctors. It is part of a public-private partnership between the state, Terrebonne General Medical Center and Ochsner. Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 446-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.

Terrebonne General Medical Center is the parish’s third-largest employer. [THE COURIER AND DAILY COMET/FILE]

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Thursday, September 26, 2019 THE COURIER / DAILY COMET

An artist’s rendering shows what the completed cancer center (foreground) at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center will look like when complete around December 2020. The hospital is Lafourche’s third-largest employer. [THIBODAUX REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER]

The top 10 employers in Lafourche By Dan Copp Staff Writer

Here are the top 10 employers in Lafourche Parish, based on the number of workers. The list is based on information and data provided by the South Louisiana Economic Council, local businesses, published sources and calls to the institutions and companies. 1. Edison Chouest Offshore Employees: 3,400

This marine transportation company at 16201 E. Main St., Galliano, was launched over 60 years ago as a boat rental business. Today the company has more than 200 boats in its fleet, mainly offshore oil service vessels, and constructs ships at its locations in Louisiana, Florida and Brazil. 2. Lafourche Public Schools Employees: 2,020

The Lafourche Parish school district employs 2,020 fulland part-time workers and has about 14,000 students enrolled. The main office is at 805 E. Seventh St., Thibodaux. 3. Thibodaux Regional Medical Center

Brittani Hebert, a kindergarten teacher at Thibodaux Elementary, works in her classroom last year. The Lafourche public school system is the parish’s second-largest employer. [FILE -- DAILYCOMET/HOUMATODAY]

Employees: 1,240

The 180-bed medical facility at 602 N. Acadia Road offers a wide range of services such as cancer care, heart and vascular surgery, neurosurgery, women’s services, rehabilitation, sports medicine and several clinics in outlying parts of the region. The hospital facility also opened a 242,000-square-foot Wellness Center in 2016. 4. Grand Isle Shipyard Employees: 1,075 Founded in 1948 in Grand Isle, GIS started as a commercial fishing company. After shifting its focus on oil and gas, the company grew to provide maintenance, design, construction and dismantling services. GIS has 19 strategically located facilities and 21 service lines. It is based at 18838 La. 3235, Galliano. 5. Walmart

Crosby Tugs, a Galliano-based company founded in 1977, is Lafourche’s 10th-largest employer.[CROSBY TUGS]

Glenn Fitch prepares parts for painting in the John Deere plant in Thibodaux in 2015. The plant, which makes machinery for the sugarcane and cotton industries around the world, is the parish’s ninthlargest employer. [FILE -- DAILYCOMET/HOUMATODAY]

Employees: 1,000

Walmart employs over 2.2 million full- and part-time workers around the world. The company’s total revenue last year was $514.4 billion. It offers multiple services including groceries, auto repair, electronics and a pharmacy. The Lafourche Parish Walmarts can found at 16759 La. 3235, Galliano; 410 N. Canal Blvd., Thibodaux; and 4876 La. 1, Mathews. 6. Nicholls State University Employees: 801

Nicholls State University is a public university based in Thibodaux with 6,506 students enrolled this fall. After opening in 1948 as Francis T. Nicholls Junior College of Louisiana State University, the college became a four-year university in 1956 after the

Legislature separated it from the LSU system. It officially changed its name to Nicholls State University in 1970. The 287-acre campus offers associate, bachelor, master and specialist degrees. 7. Bollinger Shipyards Employees 650

Launched in 1946, the Lockport-based family owned company provides construction, repair and conversion products, and services to the military and commercialmarine industry. Bollinger employs 650 workers at its three Lafourche yards. Bollinger currently operates 10 shipyards, strategically located throughout south Louisiana with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, and 18 dry docks.

8. C-Port Employees: 600

Based at Port Fourchon, C-Port is a subsidiary of Edison Chouest. The facility provides multiple services including 24 covered slips, 47 overhead cranes, 25-foot drafts, dockside services and 24-hour access. The company includes docks where deepwater oilfield service vessels can load, unload and undergo maintenance. 9. John Deere Thibodaux Employees: 540

Formerly called Cane Machinery & Engineering and Cameco Industries Inc., John Deere employs an estimated 540 workers. The company, launched in 1965, designs, builds and markets

Offshore oilﬁeld service boats are docked at Edison Chouest’s C-Port facility at Port Fourchon. C-Port is the parish’s eighth-largest employer. [FILE -- DAILYCOMET/HOUMATODAY]

sugar-cane equipment such as loaders, harvesters, tractors and other construction equipment. In addition to Louisiana, the company also services customers in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The company took on the John Deere brand name in May 2006.

company at 17771 La. 3235, Galliano, provides 24-hour dispatch of its tugboat fleet. The company also assists ships into and out of their berths, escorting oil tankers through shipping channels, towing ships and responding to fuel spills.

10. Crosby Tugs

--Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 446-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.

Employees: 500

Launched in 1977, this marine transportation

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goal of working offshore, he or she are still qualified to work onshore with a gas pipeline or in a petrochemical plant as an alternative and possibly work toward going offshore. The university also added more lab components to the curriculum and incorporates drill simulators like those used by companies to train employees that put students through different scenarios so they have experience when they’re in the field. Saidu said this training gives students critical thinking skills necessary in more of the jobs today. “When the industry started to come down, roles were consolidated into one person,” he said.

Now, they have to not only be able to work a machine but understand the how it works, take management and engineering classes, and understand the economics of the business. At Fletcher, the school added an outdoor production skid that acts as a model of what it would be like to work on a platform offshore, plus students are learning about automation in the classroom and understanding the theories behind it. “While we focus on deepwater here at Fletcher, the skill sets still work both on and offshore,” said Coleman. Hunter Theriot, who’s entering his third semester in the two-year program at Fletcher, said he has two cousins who work offshore. When one of them described what the job entailed and the work schedule, Theriot decided to train to work in

Students in Fletcher Technical Community College’s Integrated Production Technologies Program watch a demonstration in class. [SUBMITTED -- HOUMATODAY/ DAILYCOMET]

production as a operator. “I’d get to work with my hands and be able to use my troubleshooting skills, while being able to have the time off that you do,” he said, noting that only working six months

out of the year was a big attraction. So far, he said the program has been affordable, especially with his scholarship from the state. He said his classes have given him hands-on experience

through labs and he has enjoyed listening to his professors share their own experiences in the field. “I feel like it’s really valuable, and it makes me very marketable to what companies are going to be looking for,” said Theriot. Though the oil industry can be fickle, Theriot said he’s not worried about finding a job or stability. “I know we’re always going to need oil, and I’m always going to do a good job at work,” he said. He’s prepared to work in a plant for a company straight out of college if a job offshore isn’t available. His focus is getting a foot in the door and working his way to the position he wants in a bigger company like Shell. Not only are local institutions teaching the next generation of oilfield workers, mid-career workers are returning to school to expand their knowledge.

“Now it’s not just about having strong hands and a strong body. Now you actually need to see the science,” said Saidu. Coleman said Fletcher is also seeing workers who are already employed return to school’s program and is working on creating shorter certification courses focused on specific skills. One thing the school focused on is adding training geared toward being a crane operator. “A lot of them are retiring, and there is a need for them,” he said. Both professors emphasized that their programs aren’t going anywhere, and they are prepared to set students up for success across a range of jobs in the oil and gas industry. Staff Writer Halle Parker can be reached at hparker@houmatoday.com or 857-2204. Follow her on Twitter, @_thehalparker.

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Workers from Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s Lucuis offshore oil platform arrive at Era Helicopters’ base in Houma after evacuating in July in response to Tropical Storm Barry. Era is Terrebonne’s 10th-biggest taxpayer. [THE COURIER AND DAILY COMET/FILE]

Top 10 taxpayers in Terrebonne Parish By Scott Yoshonis Staff Writer

Here are Terrebonne Parish’s top 10 taxpayers of 2018, according to the Terrebonne Parish Assessor’s Office. 1. Galliano Marine Service Doing business as Edison Chouest Offshore, the company operates fleet of light construction and multi-purpose supply vessels, tractor tugs and other related products. Founded as Edison Chouest Boat Rental in Galliano in 1960, the company operates the LaShip shipyard in Houma. Tax Bill: $3.7 million.

2. Hilcorp Energy Co.

Workers get ready to board trucks at SLECA’s headquarters along Coteau Road. The utility is Terrebonne’s eighth-biggest taxpayer. [SLECA]

The Dallas-based company is the largest privately owned oil and natural gas producer in the United States. Hilcorp has operated in Louisiana since 1997 and today is one of the largest operators and the largest oil producer in the state, operating in 29 parishes.

of barges and towboats, inland terminals and loading facilities, warehousing and storage distribution centers, fleeting operations, and shipyard and dock services.

Tax Bill: $3.02 million.

3. Zydeco Pipeline Co. Jointly owned by Shell Midstream Partners and Shell Pipeline Co., Zydeco Pipeline Co. is based in Houston. It provides Gulf Coast refineries and terminals with pipeline access to additional sources of growing light crude oil production arriving in the Houston market from the Eagle Ford shale, Permian Basin and Bakken shale, and to offshore production landing in Houma. Tax Bill: $2.6 million.

4. Petroleum Helicopters Inc. Based in Lafayette, P.H.I. offers helicopter services to the offshore oil and gas, onshore mining, international, air medical and technical services industries. P.H.I. helicopters fly 250 miles into the Gulf of Mexico and to locations 200 miles offshore in international waters. Tax Bill: $1.75 million.

5. Entergy Louisiana The New Orleans-based Fortune 500 company serves about 1.08 million electric customers in 58 parishes, 60,000 customers in Terrebonne and Lafourche. It also employs about 4,500 people statewide. Tax Bill: $1.1 million.

6. S.C.F Marine Inc. Throughout the United States and South America, St. Louis-based S.C.F. provides integrated river transportation and logistics using a fleet

Tax Bill: $958,000.

7. Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Owned by Williams Partners in Tulsa, the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline spans about 10,200 miles with a capacity of 9.7 billion cubic feet per day. Transcontinental is one of the largest interstate pipeline systems in North America. Tax Bill: $844,000. 8. SLECA

SLECA, or the South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association, serves over 17,000 members in a fiveparish area and is recognized as having the lowest rates in Louisiana. Its offices are located in Houma and Amelia. It’s a nonprofit corporation jointly owned by its members and says it charges only as much as necessary to cover operating costs. Tax Bill: $757,000.

9. Banc of America Leasing and Capital A subsidiary of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the Atlanta-based company provides leasing and financing of specialized heavy equipment. Tax Bill: $746,000.

10. Era Helicopters The Fort Worth-based company transports workers to and from offshore oil rigs. The company’s Super Base at the Houma-Terrebonne airport is Era’s largest facility in Louisiana, which can accommodate 10,000-15,000 passengers per month and is home to a fleet of 30 helicopters. Tax Bill: $654,000.

A crew works to maintain one of PHI’s helicopters at the Houma-Terrebonne Airport. PHI pays the fourthhighest property tax bill in Terrebonne. [BP] Entergy lineman Byron Grabert demonstrates the danger of electricity in May 2016 at the Lafourche Parish Government Complex in Mathews. The utility pays the ﬁfth-highest tax bill in Terrebonne. [FILE -DAILYCOMET/ HOUMATODAY]

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Top 10 taxpayers in Lafourche Parish By Scott Yoshonis Staff Writer

Here are Lafourche Parish’s top 10 taxpayers of 2018, according to the Lafourche Parish Assessor’s Office. 1. Galliano Marine Service Also the leading taxpayer in Terrebonne Parish, the company, doing business as Edison Chouest Offshore, operates C-Port, a multi-service terminal concept at Port Fourchon. Today, the three C-Port facilities serve as the focal point of Chouest's port operations, incorporating 24 specialized slips. Tax Bill: $12.68 million.

2. Hornbeck Offshore Services The Lafourche holdings of Hornbeck, a Covington-based company, operates a fleet of 62 offshore service vessels. The company is a leading provider of marine transportation services to exploration and production, oilfield service, offshore construction and military customers. Tax Bill: $5.2 million.

3. Harvey Gulf International Marine

Harvey Gulf Marine, which operates supply and service boats in the Gulf oilﬁeld, pays Lafourche’s third-largest tax bill. [HARVEY GULF]

A marine transportation company that specializes in providing offshore supply and multipurpose support vessels for deepwater operations in the Gulf, the New Orleans-based firm is the first vessel company to fully house its operations in Port Fourchon. Tax Bill: $3.01 million

4. Cantium The Covington-based company is an independent, privately held oil and gas company. Cantium was established in 2016 as a full-service oil and gas operator with the sole focus of acquiring Chevron’s Bay Marchand and Main Pass fields, two of the largest fields ever developed offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Tax Bill: $2.9 million.

5. LOOP The company, formed in 1972 to manage the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, is owned by Marathon Pipe Line, Murphy Oil Corp. and Shell Oil. The Gulf Facility, about 18 miles southeast of Port Fourchon, is the only port in the U.S. capable of off-loading deep-draft supertankers.

Hornbeck Offshore Services, an offshore service boat company, pays Lafourche’s second-largest tax bill. [HORNBECK OFFSHORE SERVICES]

Tax Bill: $2.54 million.

6. Bristow U.S. Bristow U.S. is an Austin, Texas-based company that provides aviation services. The company offers helicopter transportation, search and rescue, aircraft support, maintenance and training services. Tax Bill: $2.45 million.

7. Mars Oil Pipeline Co. The Shell-operated system provides access from the deepwater Mississippi Canyon areas into Chevron Texaco’s Fourchon terminal and the LOOP-operated Clovelly Terminal. It's co-owned by Shell and BP.

the industry, works with other major oil companies and various types of producers to acquire energy resources and bring them to market. Tax Bill: $1.85 million.

9. Chevron Exploration and Production The international oil-industry giant, headquartered in Houston, operates a series of pipelines and wells in Lafourche. Offshore operations are also supported by onshore facilities located across southeastern Louisiana and in Mississippi. Tax Bill: $1.82 million.

10. Entergy Louisiana

Tax Bill: $2.34 million.

8. Shell Trading (U.S.) Co. Shell Trading (U.S.) Co., which has one of the largest lease administration groups in

The largest electricity provider for the parish, New Orleans-based Entergy pays property taxes on its electricity infrastructure. Tax Bill: $1.73 million.

Chevron’s Jack/St. Malo platform produces oil about 290 miles south of Port Fourchon. The company is Lafourche’s ninth-biggest taxpayer. [CHEVRON CORP.] A tanker ofﬂoads crude oil at one of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port’s buoy’s about 15 miles south of Grand Isle. The buoy is about 1 mile from LOOP’s transfer station, which sends the oil via pipeline to storage tanks in south Lafourche. LOOP ranks ﬁfth among Lafourche’s top 10 taxpayers. [AP/FILE]

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