[3] It is located in Playa Salguero, in Santa Marta,[4] and is named after José Benito Vives de Andréis, a well-known local politician involved different aspects of the city's development.

[6] INVEMAR is currently led by director general Francisco Armando Arias Isaza, a navy officer and marine biologist with a PhD in Coastal Zone Management.

[8] Among its objectives are to advise other governmental agencies on the use of natural resources and conservation of coastal and marine ecosystem, to liaise with the Ministry of Environment, and strengthen scientific and research capabilities in Colombia.

[12] INVEMAR manages Makuriwa, the Museum of Marine Natural History of Colombia; its name comes from the Ikun language of the Arhuaco indigenous populations.

[13] Their purpose is to share their research and knowledge about the Colombian coastal and oceanic ecosystems, to promote the rational use of resources by scientists, policy makers and the general public.