Introduction and Welcome: Robert Knox, UNOLS Chair will call the meeting to order and will give a brief summary of the issues of current interest to UNOLS.
 

Accept Minutes of the 1999 Annual Meeting.

UNOLS Activities: Robert Knox will give a summary of activities since last year's annual meeting and a brief introduction of plans for the coming year. He will then introduce the UNOLS committee chairs who will report on their activities.
 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Research Vessel Operators' Committee (RVOC) - Paul Ljunggren, Chair, will review the activities of RVOC for 1999-2000 and plans for the 24 - 26 October Annual RVOC meeting at Oregon State University.

DEep Submergence Science Committee (DESSC) – Patty Fryer, Chair, will report on the DESSC activities, 1999/2000 ATLANTIS/ALVIN/ROV operations, and equipment/instrumentation upgrades and improvements for the National Deep Submergence Facility. She will report on deep submergence operations planned for 2001 and beyond. She will also report on results of the DEveloping Submergence SCiencE into the Next Decade, "DESCEND" workshop held in Arlington on October 25 - 27, 1999.

Fleet Improvement Committee (FIC) - Larry Atkinson, Chair, will report on the FIC activities in 1999/2000 and plans for the upcoming year. He will summarize the need to begin the planning process for replacement of regional and intermediate size research vessels in the near future.

Ship Scheduling Committee (SSC) –  Joe Ustach, Chair, will review the recommendations of the September Ship Scheduling Review meeting. He will summarize the UNOLS ship operation plans for 2001.

Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) - John Freitag, Chair, will report on RVTEC activities in 1999/2000 and plans for the RVTEC Annual Meeting scheduled for 18 - 20 October at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO).

Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC) - Jim Swift, Chair, will report on the activities of the AICC in 1999/2000 including the preliminary results of science and ice breaking testing for USCG Icebreaker HEALY. He will also review Science of Opportunity operations planned for the future.
 

FEDERAL AGENCY and CORE REPORTS

Federal Agency Reports - Information from Federal Agencies (NSF, ONR including NRL, Oceanographer of the Navy including NAVO & CNMOC, NOAA, USCG, USGS, MMS, DOS and DOE) on 2000 activities and forecasts for 2001 and beyond. A report on the recently formed Federal Oceanographic Fleet Committee (FOFC) will be included.

Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education – A report on CORE activities of interest to UNOLS will be provided.

NSF Academic Research Fleet Review – Mike Reeve of NSF will review the recommendations made by the 1999 Academic Fleet Review Committee and report on progress made to date in carrying out those recommendations. These include initiatives by NSF to increase support for training and technology upgrades and development of a long-range federal fleet plan.

Long Range Academic Fleet Plan and Replacement - Reports by Larry Atkinson, Tim Cowles, Mike Reeve and Sujata Millick on efforts by FIC and FOFC to develop a long range plan and identify the need to begin planning for the replacement of Regional and Intermediate size vessels.  See "Past Trends and Future Projections for the Academic Research Fleet"

Quality of Service Initiative - Report by Tim Cowles on the activities of his committee and the UNOLS council to address the concerns outlined in the Academic Fleet Review regarding formal quality control and improvement.  See "Quality of Service Discussion"

Winch and Wire Symposium - The results of the Winch and Wire Symposium held in New Orleans November 30 and December 1, 1999 will be reported along with follow-on activities.

U.S. Marine Seismic Reflection Acquisition Needs for the Next Decade - Tom Shipley will report on the results and recommendations of a workshop held at Scripps Institution of Oceanography last October.

SeaNet Update – An update on the installation and use of SeaNet internet connectivity on selected UNOLS vessels will be provided, including plans for the future.

UNOLS Membership Votes:The following issues require a membership vote for approval:

UNOLS Charter Revision: Bob Knox will review proposed revisions to the UNOLS Charter. A membership vote is required for adoption of the proposed revisions. Enclosed is a copy of the proposed revised Charter (enclosure 1).

UNOLS Elections: Elections for the following UNOLS Council positions will be held (the slate of nominees is attached as enclosure 2):

• UNOLS Council Chair, (2-year term) At-large, affiliated with any Member Institution.
• UNOLS Council Vice-Chair, (2-year term) At-large, affiliated with any Member Institution.
• UNOLS Council Member, (3-year term) At-large, affiliated with any Member Institution.
• UNOLS Council Member, (3-year term) Non-Operator representative, from among designated UNOLS Non-Operator Institutions.
• UNOLS Council Member, (3-year term) Operator representative, from among designated UNOLS Operator Institutions.

Issues Before UNOLS: Various issues of interest to UNOLS Members have arisen during the year. The UNOLS Chair will introduce these issues for discussion:

• New UNOLS Office
• New UNOLS Website
• UNOLS Dues Accounting
• NOAA’s Fishery Research Vessel Construction (http://www.sao.noaa.gov/frv/)
• UNOLS/NOAA- MOU
• New Ship Construction - Construction status of AGOR 26, replacement plans for BLUE FIN and CAPE HENLOPEN.
• Fleet Additions/Retirements (WALTON SMITH replaces CALANUS)
• Alaskan SMRs and Future Plans
• Regional Ship Replacement Activities
• UNOLS Standard Van Design
• Research Vessel Clearance Requests
• Research Permits for Acoustic Work or Work in Sensitive Geographic Areas
• Outreach from UNOLS vessels by Internet
• UNOLS Brochure
• SEA CLIFF Engineering Study Results

Announce Results of UNOLS Elections

UNOLS Appointments to Committees:The UNOLS Chair will announce new appointments to the Executive Committee, AICC, DESSC, FIC, RVOC, RVTEC, and SSC in accordance with the UNOLS Charter.

Announce meeting Calendar for 2001

Adjournment

2001 Major Oceanographic Conferences and Federal Agency Meetings
 

NOAA - Office of Marine and Aviation Operations Annual Conference	To be Announced	Jan 7-12, 2001
ASLO Aquatic Sciences	Albequerque, NM	Feb 12-16, 2001
Oceanology	TBD	April 3-5, 2001
NSF OCE/Panels	NSF, Arlington, VA	May 21-25, 2001
AGU Spring Meeting	Boston, MA	May 29-June 2, 2001
MTS - Oceans 2001	Honolulu, HI	Nov 4-7, 2001
NSF OCE/Panels	NSF, Arlington, VA	Nov 12-16, 2001
AGU Fall Meeting	San Francisco, CA	Dec 10-14, 2001