A word from our Research Director. Dr Matt Carter.

Firstly everyone at MPF would like to congratulate Matt on completing his PhD thesis. He is now officially a Dr!

While many of us involved with MPF have not been as active due to Covid19, Matt has been keeping busy.

•     He is working alongside archaeologists at the Republic of Marshal Islands Historic Preservation Office to put together a proposal for surveying the potentially polluting wrecks in Bikini Atoll with 2021 marking the 75^th anniversary of their sinking.

•     Matt is also currently working on a report for the Northern Territory Government Heritage Branch on the I-124 Japanese submarine. This is a sensitive heritage site which is also thought to still contain significant volumes of fuel oil.

•     We are currently working through the process of getting registered as a not-for-profit organisation with the US government.  This is a required step before we can apply for funding and work towards a number of opportunities in the Pacific going forward. 

•     Matt is also working towards applying for an Australian Research Council ‘Linkage Grant’ with the University of Newcastle and other partners.

•     Peter Morris has also done a lot of work on a Potentially Polluting Shipwreck much closer to home.  We are in negotiations with a number of interested parties to determine what needs to be done. Watch this space.

As you can see there is a lot going on behind the scenes so we can get hit the ground running and continue our mission as soon as possible. It is only by working together that we can protect the marine ecosystems and the livelihoods and cultures of the Pacific communities who rely on them.

Matt Carter details one MPF’s high priority wrecks in this video.