The MMS Annual Industry Awards program was held on May 7, 2009, to recognize winners of the Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) and the Offshore Leadership Awards (OLA). The event was held in conjunction with the Offshore Technology Conference, in Houston, Texas, for the first time. The awards ceremony coincided with the 40th anniversary of the OTC and over 700 people attended.

The event was opened by Douglas Stroud, Vice Chairman of the Offshore Technology Conference. Bud Danenberger, Chief of the Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs, introduced Chris Oynes, the Associate Director for Offshore Energy and Minerals Management, and announced the winners. Mr. Oynes presented the SAFE and OLA awards, and recognized all of the SAFE finalists.

SAFE Awards were presented in four categories: High Activity Operator, Moderate Activity Operator, Production Contractor, and Drilling Contractor.

This year, Offshore Leadership Awards were presented to 13 individuals who made outstanding contributions to improving offshore safety and protecting the marine environment.

The 2009 SAFE Award winners are:
 
Drilling Contractor, Tommy Travis – Noble Drilling Corporation
Production Contractor, Hank Danos – Danos & Curole Marine Contractors, Inc.
High Activity Operator, Tony Vaughn – Devon Energy Production Company
Moderate Activity Operator, Michael Radabaugh – Noble Energy, Inc.

The 2009 Offshore Leadership Award winners are:
 
Wayne Broussard – PSN/Grasso
A.J. Guiteau – Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc.
George Hagerman – Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute
Ann Jochens – Texas A&M University
Paul Landry – Apache Corporation
Darryl Luoma – BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.
Alan Romine – InterACT PMTI (group picture)
John Seeger – InterACT PMTI (group picture)
Chris Brooks – Merit Energy Company (group picture)
William “Billy” Poe – Explosive Service International (group picture)
Harlan King (group picture)
Virgil Russell – BP America, Inc. (group picture)
Al Gonsoulin – Petroleum Helicopter, Inc. (group picture)