Underwater Intervention 2002 was held February 27 through March 2 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, and the larger, more prestigious venue suited the conference well.

New Orleans is historically a favorite location for the conference, so it was no surprise that the exhibitors and attendees were enthusiastic about the venue. What was pleasantly surprising to the organizing committee, however, was how well suited the larger facility was to the conference. The convention center was appropriate to the exhibition and technical session aspects of the conference without any of the expected growing pains.

Underwater Intervention 2002 was co-sponsored by the Association of Diving Contractors International, Inc. and the ROV Committee of the Marine Technology Society for the 10th consecutive year. With 230 exhibit spaces filled, and 2,500 attendees, this year's show set a new benchmark for success in domestic underwater contracting conferences. The technical program was expanded to accommodate an increased number of paper and panel presentations, with a fourth track and an additional half-day of sessions being scheduled.

The conference was preceeded by a golf tournament, which raised funds for ADC and MTS/ROV scholarship programs. MTS/ROV Committee Chairman Drew Michel donated MTS's share of the funds to the newly established ADC scholarship fund, resulting in a healthy boost to the program. Golfers at the tournament were plagued by high winds, but the weather did nothing to dampen the fun players had.

Awards Luncheon
The UI Awards Luncheon was held on Thursday, and was highlighted by a keynote speech by Peter Canty, CEO, President and COO of Stone Energy Corporation. His speech, "The Gulf Coast Basin: A Bone Yard or a Boon Yard," demonstrated that, through improved imaging technologies, additional reserves of recoverable oil and gas are being detected in divable depths on the Gulf Coast.

This year's luncheon featured a couple of surprises. ADC President Jim Doré was presented with a commendation from the Occupation, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for achieving zero commercial diving fatalities in 2001. OSHA's Steve Butler made the presentation on behalf of John Henshaw, Assistant Secretary, US Dept. of Labor (OSHA).

Then there was the presentation of a plaque by Leslie Leaney of the Historical Diving Society USA to the ADC for 10 years of support. During that time the HDS has grown exponentially, largely with the support of the commercial diving community.

The John B. Galletti Award recipient was underwater welding legend Conway "Whitey" Grubbs. The Tom Devine Memorial Award was presented to cable-lay pioneer Jim Caldwell. Lázaro del Castillo, Chairman of the ADC Latin American & Caribbean Chapter and President of Sebute, SA, was the recipient of the ADC President's Award.

CA Richards and Associates recieved the MTS/ROV Corporate Excellence Award, while the MTS/ROV Committee Scholarship went to Aaron Horine, an Ocean Engineering Student at Texas A&M.

Diverse Technical Program
The UI Technical Program opened at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and continued through the end of the day Saturday. The additional half-day was added at the beginning of the conference (exhibits did not open until Thursday morning), and attendance during the Wednesday sessions was very healthy.

The UI Outstanding Technical Paper award, chosen by Drew Michel and Ross Saxon, went to Wayne Verdun, organizer and moderator of the panel entitled, "The OSHA 300 Law and Record Keeping Requirements."

Other notable sessions in the Underwater Intervention 2002 Technical Program included:

• U.S. Coast Guard and Commercial Diving Safety Panel session, moderated by LCDR John Cushing: Coast Guard representatives discussed the regulatory landscape for commercial diving, including compliance and safety awareness.
• Minerals Management Service sessions: Donald C. Howard's presentation, "Gulf of Mexico MMS Prospective," presented the status of MMS regulation of oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico, and pending changes to the regulations which will affect diving inspection frequency. MMS's Tommy Laurendine's presentation, "Underwater Inspection Requirements," covered CFR 30, Part 250, Subpart I, Section 900, for inspection of all platforms on the outer continental shelf.
• AUV Track, coordinated by Track Chairman Brian Morr: The track featured 18 papers and panels on subjects ranging from AUV insurance to current and future commercial prospects, with emphasis also being put on data communications and survey capabilities. The track was characterized by standing-room-only attendance.
• Shipwreck Track, coordinated by Track Chairman Greg Stemm: The popular track featured 15 papers and panels on shipwreck law and politics, technical tools for exploration, ROVs, underwater forensics, and recovery techniques.

UI 2003 will be held Monday-Wednesday, February 10-12. The previous schedule of January 25-28 conflicted with Super Bowl weekend, and conference organizers were able to negotiate new dates with the Convention Center.

The layout of the UI 2003 exhibit floor will accommodate 300 exhibit spaces, and early plans include an International Lounge to show hospitality to the hundreds of overseas visitors.