National Ocean Industries Association Annual Meeting

Sea Technology, May 2004 by Michels, Thomas J

Serving as a forum for numerous congressional and administration leaders to outline their vision for future ocean policy, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) Annual Meeting attracted approximately 200 senior executives from all facets of the offshore energy industry to Washington, D.C. The NOIA meeting marked the announcement of this year's winner of the prestigious NOIA Safety in Seas Award, sponsored by Sea Technology magazine publisher, Compass Publications Inc.

Tidewater Wins NOIA Award

Department of the Interior secretary Gale Norton presided over the Safety in Seas Award luncheon, where former NOIA Chairman Jim Day of Noble Energy joined Compass Publications Vice President Rick Martin in presenting the 2004 NOIA Safety in Seas Award to Tidewater Inc.

Accepting the award on behalf of Tidewater was William C. O'Malley, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Tidewater Inc. In that role, O'Malley led one of the world's largest fleets of offshore energy service vessels and spearheaded the implementation of Tidewater's rigorous safety management system. Since its implementation, Tidewater's system has achieved a demonstrated record of excellence, with a 60 percent reduction in all safety incidents and a 94 percent reduction in lost-time accidents.

In recognition of these extraordinary safety accomplishments, the blue-ribbon panel of judges from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Minerals Management Service and the National Academy of Sciences' Marine Board picked Tidewater as the recipient of the 2004 NOIA Safety in Seas Award.

In a statement, Dean E. Taylor, the current Tidewater chairman, president and chief executive officer, said, "Tidewater is honored by this achievement, the credit for which goes to our employees, who are the mainstay of our safety culture, and to William C. O'Malley, our former chairman and my predecessor, who engendered a true cultural change in doing our business safely, with due respect for our environment."

Law of the Sea Treaty Endorsed

In addition to a keynote address from Norton, NOIA members heard from numerous key ocean policymakers over the course of the three-day meeting. In his remarks, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Appropriations Committee, spoke at length about the necessity of ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is now under consideration by several committees in the Senate. "I hope you in industry realize how important this treaty is for U.S. interests in deep seabed mining and exploration...In Alaska, we have an extreme interest in this treaty-the Arctic Continental Shelf extends beyond the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone, and Article 76 of the treaty now allows member states to lay claim to the bottom resources of the continental shelf beyond the 200-mile limit...If we ratify the convention this year, under Article 76, the United States can lay claim to an area of about 62,000 square kilometers north and east of the Bering Straits-an area larger than West Virginia," Stevens said.

Stevens was not the only one speaking out in support of the Law of the Sea at the NOIA meeting. The association had set up computer terminals in the halls where members could electronically send letters in support of treaty ratification to Senate leaders. The public can visit www.noia.org and click on "Real Clout" for more information.

Homeland security and the Oceans

Also addressing the NOIA meeting was Deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland security, Adm. James Loy. A former head of the U.S. Coast Guard, Loy is now the second-in-command at the newly-formed Department of Homeland security, where he oversees Coast Guard, the Transportation security Administration and other important security agencies.

Loy commented on the challenges of establishing an entirely new government agency, on some of the U.S. successes in enhancing security preparedness and on the seriousness of the threats the nation continues to face. "The bad guy is willing to wait for his moment in time-after all, he was willing to wait eight years between attacks on the World Trade Center...the threat is still very real," he commented.

On the other hand, Loy indicated that industry and government have made serious progress. "I do not have to tell you that 85 percent of the critical infrastructure in this country is owned by the private sector, and 1 do not have to tell you how important the contributions of the private sector have been in the planning, preparation and policy-making at the federal, state and local level. The private sector helps to keep us safe by being the means that keeps the economy moving forward."

U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy

While there was much for other speakers to discuss in terms of ocean policy, the so-called elephant in the room backgrounding their discussions was the release of the U.S. Corn-mission on Ocean Policy's report. After more than two years of preparation, the report is the subject of much anticipation by Washington policymakers, many of whom have elected to forgo major policy initiatives until the report is released. Chairman of the Commission, Adm. James Watkins, was on hand to discuss the 500-page report with NOlA members.