SLPA to host 19th Conference on International Network of Affiliated Ports on 7-8 Nov

Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe

The 19th conference on International Network of Affiliated Ports (INAP) will be held on 7 and 8 November at the Kingsbury Hotel Colombo. 

The two day international maritime conference of regional importance that will be held with the participation of eight countries including Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea and Sri Lanka will be hosted by Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). The conference will be held with the fullest patronage and initiative of Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe.

The Deputy Minister of Ports and Shipping Nishantha Muthuhettigama will attend as the Guest of Honour.

 Establishing the INAP 

Following a decision made at the commissioning of the new Port of Kochi in Japan in 1998, to create an opportunity for all affiliated ports to meet together, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) held the first international symposium from 17 to 19 November 1998 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo with the participation of six ports established within the region. This Symposium was held around the theme of ‘Global Peace through Sister Ports.’

In the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Symposium, Governor Hashimoto proposed the “Port Network Alliance” concept based on cooperation among sister ports. The alliance would aim at exchanging and sharing information on marine transport and port affairs, studying and discussing potential measures to promote mutual exchanges, and moreover creating a world scale port network which could respond the needs of marine transport on the basis of intra-regional networks consisting of member ports.

The idea was further developed by Sri Lanka at the symposium to witness the establishment of an international network organisation for sister ports, the ‘International Network of Affiliated Ports’ (INAP).

The Port of Colombo, the Port of Kochi, the Port of Qingdao

the Port of Subic Bay and the Port of Tanjung Perak became the founding members of the INAP. The port of Cebu in Philippines became a new member port in 2000. The Mokpo New Port joined in 2007 and the Korean port of Dangjin joined in 2014. Port of Davavo Phillipines joined the network in 2016. 

In recognition of the their pioneering efforts, during the time of establishment of INAP, the former Minister of Ports Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction M.H.M. Ashraff from Sri Lanka and Governor Daijiro Hashimoto from Kochi are regarded as founding fathers of INAP.

Since the first International Symposium of the INAP held at the BMICH, in Colombo, in November 1998 the INAP has done an unprecedented amount of work for the past twelve years since its inception, making a tremendous contribution to the maritime industry, regional/global trade and regional/global peace.

The INAP Secretariat is currently located at the Port of Kochi in Japan. At present, the network consists of nine member port s in six countries that include the Port of Cebu, Port of Davao and the Port of Subic Bay in Philippines, Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka, Port of Dangin and Port of Mokpo New Port in South Korea, Port of Kochi in Japan, Port of Qingdao in China and the Port of Tanjung Perak in Indonesia.

 Objectives of INAP 

The long-term vision of INAP is to help in the realisation of an environmentally-friendly society and a peaceful and harmonious earth, whilst upholding the principles of friendly, harmonious co-existence among members. In order to realise this vision, the objectives of INAP include, to formulate a network among the member ports by integrating each individual affiliated-port relationship, to promote activities of the member ports and to make each individual affiliated-port relationship more meaningful by exchanging information on port development, promotion and management among members, to establish mutual relationships among the different regions of the member ports, and to strengthen economic and cultural relationships among such regions.

 The 19th INAP

The 19th conference of the INAP this year is the third successful opportunity Sri Lanka Ports Authority receives to hold the INAP symposium. Previously, the 13th INAP conference hosted by Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) was held in the year 2011 in Colombo. 

The first round of discussions on the 19th Conference of International Network of affiliated Ports (INAP) 2017 was held early this year at Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). The conference is also of equal importance in realising Sri Lanka as a safe and comfortable destination for MICE tourism of the industry of hospitality.

The Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake (SLPA) will receive the Chairmanship of INAP 2017, Sri Lanka being the host country of this year’s INAP conference.