Louisiana Offshore Oil Port
Encyclopedia
The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) is a deepwater port
in the Gulf of Mexico
off the coast of Louisiana
near the town of Port Fourchon
. LOOP provides tanker
offloading and temporary storage services for crude oil transported on some of the largest tankers in the world. Most tankers offloading at LOOP are too large for U.S.
inland ports.
LOOP handles 13 percent of the nation's foreign oil, about 1.2 Moilbbl a day, and connects by pipeline to 50 percent of the U.S. refining
capability.
Tankers offload at LOOP by pumping crude oil through hoses connected to a Single Point Mooring (SPM) base. Three SPMs are located 8,000 feet (2.4 km) from the Marine Terminal. The SPMs are designed to handle ships up to 700,000 deadweight
ton
s (635,000 metric tonne
s). The crude oil then moves to the Marine Terminal via a 56-inch (1.4 m) diameter submarine pipeline
. The Marine Terminal consists of a control platform and a pumping platform.
The control platform is equipped with a helicopter
pad, living quarters, control room, vessel traffic control station, offices and life support equipment. The pumping platform contains four 7,000-hp
(5 MW) pump
s, power generator
s, metering and laboratory
facilities. Crude oil is only handled on the pumping platform where it is measured, sampled, and boosted to shore via a 48-inch (1.2 m) diameter pipeline.
LOOP's onshore facilities, Fourchon Booster Station and Clovelly Dome Storage Terminal, are located just on-shore in Fourchon
and 25 miles (40.2 km) inland near Galliano, Louisiana
. The Fourchon Booster Station has four 6,000-hp (4.5 MW) pumps which increase the pressure and crude oil flow en route to the Clovelly Dome Storage Terminal.
The Clovelly Dome Storage Terminal is used to store crude oil in underground salt dome
s before it is shipped to the various refineries. The terminal consists of eight caverns with a total capacity of 50 Moilbbl, a pump station with four 6,000-hp pumps, meters to measure the crude oil receipts and deliveries, and a 25 Moilbbl Brine Storage Reservoir. The brine reservoir is supersaturated with salts so as to prevent further degradation of the massive salt dome
in which the eight caverns store the crude. This is because the supersaturated brine is much more dense than the crude oil, and as it is pumped into the caverns to push the crude to the surface and into the surface distribution systems. This results in virtually no loss of quality to the crude oil offload. It also seems to benefit local wildlife, as many unusual species of diving ducks, loons and other waterfowl are often seen on the reservoir.
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
off the coast of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
near the town of Port Fourchon
Port Fourchon, Louisiana
Port Fourchon is Louisiana’s southernmost port, located on the southern tip of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a sea port, with significant petroleum industry traffic from offshore Gulf oil platforms and drilling rigs as well as the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port pipeline...
. LOOP provides tanker
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
offloading and temporary storage services for crude oil transported on some of the largest tankers in the world. Most tankers offloading at LOOP are too large for U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inland ports.
LOOP handles 13 percent of the nation's foreign oil, about 1.2 Moilbbl a day, and connects by pipeline to 50 percent of the U.S. refining
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
capability.
Tankers offload at LOOP by pumping crude oil through hoses connected to a Single Point Mooring (SPM) base. Three SPMs are located 8,000 feet (2.4 km) from the Marine Terminal. The SPMs are designed to handle ships up to 700,000 deadweight
Deadweight
Deadweight may refer to:* Deadweight loss, an economics concept* Deadweight tonnage, a ship's carrying capacity with crew and supplies* "Deadweight" , a song on Beck's 1997 album A Life Less Ordinary...
ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s (635,000 metric tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s). The crude oil then moves to the Marine Terminal via a 56-inch (1.4 m) diameter submarine pipeline
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
. The Marine Terminal consists of a control platform and a pumping platform.
The control platform is equipped with a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pad, living quarters, control room, vessel traffic control station, offices and life support equipment. The pumping platform contains four 7,000-hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(5 MW) pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
s, power generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
s, metering and laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
facilities. Crude oil is only handled on the pumping platform where it is measured, sampled, and boosted to shore via a 48-inch (1.2 m) diameter pipeline.
LOOP's onshore facilities, Fourchon Booster Station and Clovelly Dome Storage Terminal, are located just on-shore in Fourchon
Port Fourchon, Louisiana
Port Fourchon is Louisiana’s southernmost port, located on the southern tip of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a sea port, with significant petroleum industry traffic from offshore Gulf oil platforms and drilling rigs as well as the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port pipeline...
and 25 miles (40.2 km) inland near Galliano, Louisiana
Galliano, Louisiana
Galliano is a census-designated place on the Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 7,356...
. The Fourchon Booster Station has four 6,000-hp (4.5 MW) pumps which increase the pressure and crude oil flow en route to the Clovelly Dome Storage Terminal.
The Clovelly Dome Storage Terminal is used to store crude oil in underground salt dome
Salt dome
A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when a thick bed of evaporite minerals found at depth intrudes vertically into surrounding rock strata, forming a diapir....
s before it is shipped to the various refineries. The terminal consists of eight caverns with a total capacity of 50 Moilbbl, a pump station with four 6,000-hp pumps, meters to measure the crude oil receipts and deliveries, and a 25 Moilbbl Brine Storage Reservoir. The brine reservoir is supersaturated with salts so as to prevent further degradation of the massive salt dome
Salt dome
A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when a thick bed of evaporite minerals found at depth intrudes vertically into surrounding rock strata, forming a diapir....
in which the eight caverns store the crude. This is because the supersaturated brine is much more dense than the crude oil, and as it is pumped into the caverns to push the crude to the surface and into the surface distribution systems. This results in virtually no loss of quality to the crude oil offload. It also seems to benefit local wildlife, as many unusual species of diving ducks, loons and other waterfowl are often seen on the reservoir.
External links
- LOOP LLC. - Home Page
- LOOP Photos Photos of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port and an unloading ship, April 2002.