Louisiana Offshore Oil Port loads its first VLCC

Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) has completed its first Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) crude oil loading operation at its Deepwater Port, 18 miles offshore of Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

“We are pleased to offer the enhanced capability to safely and efficiently load the largest cargo vessels in the world with crude oil for export,” said Tom Shaw, LOOP president. “There could not be a better time to offer this service as domestic production surpasses 10 million barrels per day in the ever dynamic global crude oil market.”

LOOP last year announced its intention to seek shipper interest in vessel loading services to complement its long standing offloading services.

The new service provides connecting logistics from LOOP’s Clovelly Hub in Galliano, La., to its Deepwater Port, 18 miles offshore of Port Fourchon, La. The company said it made only minor modifications to its existing facilities to operate the port complex bi-directionally.

In a statement on Sunday, the company said:”LOOP is the only U.S. Port capable of fully loading a VLCC, which helps optimize America’s energy supply chain by enabling inbound vessels delivering foreign crude oil to leave LOOP with U.S. crude oil, rather than returning empty.”

“The new onloading configuration was accomplished with only minor modifications to existing facilities and is scalable to meet the changing needs of the industry,” Shaw said.

According to available information, the VLCC in question is the Shaden tanker delivered to Bahri in October 2017.

Houston-based Shell Trading Company US (STUSCO) was the shipper of record for this historic cargo.

According to MarineTraffic, the Shaden VLCC left LOOP on Sunday afternoon, and is now on its way to China, with the estimated arrival time set for April 8.

Offshore Energy Today Staff