Page 63: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2005)

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

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November 2005 Gulf Coast Resources Guide 63

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