The Professional Association of Marine Engineers (Asmanave) was founded by act in Bilbao on 23-II-1976. It has its own statutes, with full autonomy and with a regional character to organize its activities within the Basque provinces: Álava, Guipúzcoa and Bizkaia. It currently has approximately 300 associate members. Its main work consists of potential professional development of marine engineering and serving as a link between its associate members and the different administrations and companies.