Page 12: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2012)

In conjunction with the Underwater Intervention exhibi- tion set forth to Þ nd an excellent source to speak in the Þ rst person on the diving industry, and more speciÞ cally the balance today between deploying man and machine. Kevin Lord is the Subsea Operations Manager within the Ma- rine Construction Division of Chet Morrison Contractors. He began his commercial diving career in the Gulf of Mexico after serving four years in the United States Navy. In his 20 years in the industry, he has worked as a diver in both sur- face and saturation modes, as a diving supervisor, a project superintendent, project manager, and Operations manager. He has experience in both diving and deepwater projects, and has managed both diving and ROV divisions. Kevin currently serves as an executive board member on the U.S. Gulf of Mex- ico Diving Safety Work Group (DSWG). By Greg Trauthwein, Editor Please tell us a bit about your role as the Man- ager of Subsea Operations at Chet Morrison Contractors. As the Subsea Operations Manager, I?m responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and projects within the division. We have a group of very knowledgeable and tal- ented individuals that make up an extraordinary team that I?m proud to be a part of. At Chet Morrison Contractors we pride ourselves on our safe work culture, good communications, and continual improvement through training and auditing. I enjoy interacting with our employees and our clients, as I owe our success to both. SpeciÞ cally, can you provide our readers back- ground on your experience using ROVs and AUVs? My experience is primarily in ROVs. I?ve worked with ROVs on many occasions, including several deepwater projects where divers are not an option. Even on shallower projects that I?ve managed, ROVs were used to inspect pipe- lines and platforms. For example, they?re a great tool after a hurricane for inspecting downed structures in order to get an initial survey for planning purposes. Some speci c ROVs I?ve worked with:  TXL Work Class ROV ? Hydraulic o 100 HP, capable of working to depths of 2500 m o Rugged, durable ROV with proven dependability o Worked well in construction when out tted with 2 manipulators o I speci cally remember it had the Schilling T3 and the Perry Slingsby 5 function  TXLS Work Class ROV ? Hydraulic o 150 HP, capable of depths to 4000 m o Excellent ROV for heavy construction o The manipulators I remember were the Schilling T4 7 function and a Schilling 5 function Rig Master  Quest Electric Work Class ROV o Equivalent to a 100 HP hydraulic ROV o An environmentally friendly choice with an all-electric propulsion system First Person Kevin Lord Manager of Subsea Operations, Chet Morrison Contractors November/December 201212 MTRMTR #9 (1-17).indd 12MTR #9 (1-17).indd 1211/29/2012 10:15:54 AM11/29/2012 10:15:54 AM