UI2005 began on Sunday morning with a meeting of the ADCI Board of Directors at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street in the heart of the French Quarter, or Vieux Carre. The hotel served as a harbour of tranquility for convention attendees following each day’s events and a convenient point-of-beginning for evening adventures into a New Orleans nightlife filled with jazz and exquisite culinary delights. Conference registration and exhibitor move-in began at noon on the 12th at the Ernest N. Moral Convention Center, in conjunction with a variety of tutorials, which were followed by an early-bird reception. Tutorials included a ‘Sonar Tutorial’ by Mark Atherton, with Kongsberg Mesotech; ‘Basic Hydraulic Circuits and Hydraulic Tool Troubleshooting’ by Dave Kaplan, with Steffen; and ‘Acoustic Positioning for Dummies’ by Ian Florence, with Kongsberg Maritime. Setting the stage for an educational and relaxing event in the Big Easy, the early-bird reception featured a delicious buffet of local favourites, bar and live music.

Keynote Address
Dr Anatoly Sagalevitch, head of the Deep Manned Submersibles Laboratory at the P.P. Shirshow Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, presented the Keynote Address. Dr Sagalevitch shared experience of his more than three thousand hours piloting submersible diving expeditions around the world. As one of the principal designers of the world-famous MIR manned submersibles, Dr Sagalevitch has participated in over thirty expeditions, including several dives to such notable sites as the ships Titanic and Bismarck and the nuclear submarines Komsomolets and Kursk.

Trade Exhibition
More than two hundred exhibitors filled the convention centre, showcasing the industry’s most currently available technology in the fields of professional diving, marine construction and ocean exploration. Of note was the dazzling array of inspections and intervention tools, including several diminutive Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) – some weighing as little as three-and-one-half kilograms! The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) community was also well represented by Kongsberg Maritime and Hafmybd, Ltd, manufacturers of the Hugin and Gavia vehicles, respectively. In addition, a host of AUV sensor and software manufacturers demonstrated their product capabilities whilst vying for integration and application opportunities.

Technical Sessions
Four concurrent technical sessions provided a wide variety of presentations and panel discussions that kept UI2005 conference participants busy scurrying to satisfy their multitude of inquisitive appetites. Industry, academia, and government were well represented at technical sessions that encompassed a plethora of underwater applications including manned and unmanned intervention, deep submergence, pressure-compensated battery power, buoyancy systems, explosive ordinance disposal, legal and regulatory trends, oil recovery and underwater data transmission, to name but a few. For more detailed information, visit www.underwaterintervention.com.