PMI Energy Services opens ‘shorebase’ in Morgan City

PMI Energy Services has opened a “shorebase” in Morgan City focused on supporting shelf, drilling activities, and coastal and inland waters production, according to a Thursday news release.
PMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Superior Energy Services Inc. and is headquartered in Morgan City with Louisiana branches in Fourchon, Venice and Harvey, and a Texas branch in Midland.
PMI’s shorebase is in close proximity to established fuel docks, mud docks, 29-B waste transfer stations, rental and supply companies, fabrication yards, shipyards, repurpose facilities and other industry and civil infrastructure to support offshore or inland oil and gas properties, the release stated.
The 12.5-acre site with a 600-foot bulkhead dock includes ample acreage for material handling and temporary storage, both open and enclosed, for dry goods and sensitive equipment, secure short-term and long-term parking, marine and aviation crew changes; meeting rooms; a safety training facility; customer office space, and satellite offices for logistics coordinators, according to the release.
Port of Morgan City Executive Director Raymond “Mac” Wade said the facility will bring more industries back to Morgan City. The increased business will bring more traffic to the waterways, which will also raise the amount of tonnage coming through the port, Wade said. More tonnage improves the port’s ranking, thus providing more funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for dredging.
“For every dollar they bring in, that’s going to be putting more dollars in the community,” Wade said. “It’s really fantastic.”
In the news release, PMI Energy Services Vice President Don Mehrtens said, “As the demand for resources in Louisiana’s deepwater port has increased with projections for deepwater drilling activities continuing that upward trend, PMI is providing an alternative solution for operators that are experiencing inefficiencies supporting their operations.
“The lower demand on resources at our new base will create value to operators with more efficient uses of their marine assets, lower equipment and personnel transportation costs into and out of this port.”
Jamie Holt, general manager of PMI’s Gulf of Mexico business unit, said the company will focus on safe material handling and minimizing marine vessel port time to lower an operator’s lease operating expenses and authorization for expenditures.
“We have created a first class facility in the birthplace of the offshore oil and gas industry to provide shorebase support for production facilities, drilling programs and well work, as well as construction projects and decommissioning activities,” Holt said.
PMI Energy Services offers dockside boat, barge tank and portable container cleaning, production and process equipment maintenance cleaning, hazardous/non-hazardous waste assessment, sampling, remediation and restoration along with closure of facility, pit, marsh and wetland areas, the release stated.