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Grapple Helps Out in Storm's Wake Navy rescue and salvage ship USS Grapple (ARS 53) returned to its home- port of Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek on October 5, returning from the Gulf of Mexico in support of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Grapple, along with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set up a salvage priority to clear area ports and restore oil plat- forms. According to Grapple Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Kevin M. Brand, the ship was en route the day after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, ready to lend assistance. "We basically restored all of the Mobile (Alabama) ports," Brand said. "We went into the Mobile River and opened up the entire ship channel all the way down. After that, we went to Louisiana to re-moor oil platforms." After evading Hurricane Rita, the ship went to work in and recovered sonar equipment that became entangled dur- ing helicopter operations in the Gulf. "We are relatively self-sufficient," said Brand, "We have everything we need on board. We have all the divers, we have our own chamber in the event that divers need to decompress. If some- thing happens, they just send us there. (By Journalist 3rd Class John Michael Cokos, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic) Chevron Invests in 'Blind Faith' Chevron is proceeding with the devel- opment of the Blind Faith Field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The field will be developed using a semisub- mersible production facility, with first production expected during the first half of 2008. Chevron is the operator and holds a 62.5 percent working interest. Blind Faith is located in approximate- ly 7,000 ft. of water, about 160 miles southeast of New Orleans, on Mississippi Canyon blocks 695 and 696. The discovery well was drilled in June 2001 and encountered more than 200 ft. of net pay in Miocene sands at depths of 20,900 ft. to 24,300 ft. A successful appraisal well was drilled in 2004. The field has an estimated gross resource potential exceeding 100 million barrels of oil-equivalent. Ray Wilcox, Chevron's North America Exploration and Production Company president, said "This project is a key asset in our deepwater portfolio and is expected to provide significant new oil and gas resources in the Gulf of Mexico." Total capital costs for the proj- ect will be approximately $900 million. Chevron's partner in the Blind Faith project is Kerr-McGee Corp., which holds a 37.5 percent interest. Initial production is expected to be Vehicle Transmissions Industrial Gears Marine Gears Slide Bearings Couplings Test Systems RENK INSIDE. Double marine gears for the largest cruise ferry worldwide called “Color Fantasy” > Marine Gears from RENK are universally acknowledged as a hallmark of maritime drive engineering. They have proved their value for decades when extraordinary technical require- ments had to be met. This experience and expertise is reflected by prominent features as: extreme performance, maximum speed (up to 60 knots), low weight, running smoothness and unshakeable reliability that you need on the high seas. RENK, a member of MAN group RENK Aktiengesellschaft Gögginger Straße 73 86159 Augsburg, Germany Tel. +49 821/57 00-627 Fax +49 821/57 00-559 marine.augsburg@renk.biz www.renk.biz RENK Aktiengesellschaft Rheine plant Rodder Damm 170 48432 Rheine, Germany Tel. +49 59 71/790-317 Fax +49 59 71/790-208 info.rheine@renk.biz Circle 283 on Reader Service Card Gulf of Mexico Resources Guidebook MARITIME REPORTER AND ENGINEERINGNEWS November 2005 Gulf Coast Resources Guide 63 MR NOVEMBER 2005 #8 (57-64).qxd 10/28/2005 9:55 AM Page 63
