Torch Offshore Announces New Board Member and Management Change.

Business Editors

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 6, 2002

Torch Offshore, Inc. (NASDAQ:TORC), an offshore construction and pipelay company serving the oil and gas industry, announced today that Drew Michel has accepted a position on the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Michel has over 35 years of technical and senior management experience in the offshore oil and gas industry.

In an unrelated matter, the Company also announced that Eric Smith has resigned from his role as Executive Vice President and accepted a consulting assignment with the Company. Under the new arrangement, Mr. Smith will continue to support Torch Offshore, but will also be able to pursue planning, market analysis and financial management assignments outside of the Company.

Mr. Michel is currently Executive Vice President, and a Partner, in TSC Holdings Group, Inc. TSC, through its subsidiaries, performs marine surveys and reef restoration work, and provides ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and management consulting services. From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Michel served as Vice President of Deepwater Development for Global Industries, Ltd., a major offshore contracting firm. Prior to that, he was owner and principal consultant at ROV Technologies, Inc. a company founded in 1986 that was the first engineering consulting firm dedicated exclusively to ROV technology. In that role, he managed underwater intervention engineering and ROV operations activities for many deepwater developments worldwide. Earlier, during his employment with Halliburton, from 1968 to 1986, he was responsible for forming and managing the first major commercial ROV operation in the offshore industry. Mr. Michel is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, a fellow in the Marine Technology Society and the co-chair, for the 11th year, of the upcoming Underwater Intervention Conference. Mr. Michel is an internationally recognized authority and frequent lecturer at technical conferences and academic institutions on the history and current state of the ROV industry.

Lyle Stockstill, Torch Offshore's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented, "We welcome Drew Michel to our Board of Directors. His many years of industry experience and expertise, particularly in deepwater developments around the world, will be especially valuable to us as we pursue our own deepwater program over the coming years."

Stockstill commented further, "We also want to thank Eric Smith for his significant contributions to Torch Offshore's successful campaign, over the last two years, to become a publicly traded company. We wish him continued success in his new activities."

Established in 1978, Torch Offshore, Inc. currently operates a fleet of nine vessels engaged in offshore pipeline installation and subsea construction for the oil and gas industry. Torch Offshore is expanding beyond its established shallow water market to capture opportunities from the industry's growing needs in the deeper waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Any statements made in this news release, other than those of historical fact, about an action, event or development, which the Company hopes, expects, believes or anticipates may or will occur in the future, are forward-looking statements under U.S. securities laws. Such statements are subject to various assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which are specifically described in the Company's prospectus dated June 7, 2001 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other factors that may not be within the Company's control, including, specifically, variable oil and natural gas commodity prices and offshore construction activity levels. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or an assurance that the Company's current assumptions and projections are valid. Actual results may differ materially from those projected.