All of us in ΙΝTERMEPA were deeply saddened by the news that the operation of the Australian Marine Environment Protection Association - AUSMEPA has reached its end.

The launching of AUSMEPA on July 13th, 2000 in Brisbane, which was based on HELMEPA’s Declaration of Voluntary Commitment “To Save the Seas” and supported by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and other local stakeholders, constituted a landmark in the development of the MEPA movement worldwide. Since then, the Board members and Secretariat’s staff of our Australian counterpart worked consistently and contributed significantly towards progressing marine sustainability issues in the Australian continent and further. Important outputs were produced both in the fields of environmental education for youth and seafarer training/green shipping , the most recent being the Maritime Emissions Portal that was a finalist in the 2016 Google Impact Challenge.

The Members and the Secretariat of INTERMEPA wholeheartedly thank the Boards of Directors, the staff and everybody involved in AUSMEPA’s efforts throughout the years for their dedicated work and sincere cooperation. We may only hope that the significant achievements of AUSMEPA will provide solid foundations for other organizations in this great maritime nation to build upon and continue the worthwhile effort "To Save the Seas".