Following more than 11 years as Patron of the IMRF, Sir Efthimios Mitropoulos, the Secretary-General Emeritus of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), stepped down in 2023, replaced by Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

In a final message to the IMRF and the wider maritime SAR community, Sir Efthimios has written an open letter to say thank you to the IMRF membership and a look back at his career to date and his history and dedication to maritime SAR. 

In his letter, Sir Efthimios states "Being a seafarer myself, the work of the IMRF has always been close to my heart. The safety and wellbeing of seafarers, so often facing the wrath of Poseidon, has always been in my thoughts and prayers. Which explains why I consider the work of IMRF, together with that of IMO and affiliated organizations, to be of paramount importance as it aims at providing the means, in the form of well-educated and trained personnel and in well designed and manufactured equipment, to search for, and rescue them and those who travel by sea, when the worst comes to the worst and they find themselves in distress – when destiny and fate force them to experience the bitter taste of a shipwreck. And it is then, when hope is about to abandon them, that rescuers step in and, by so often achieving the unachievable, bring hope to them and solace to their families."

You can  click here to download a copy.