History and Purpose of Establishment

 Kochi New Port, a new port with a large quay facing the Pacific Ocean, opened for service in March 1998. On the occasion of the opening ceremony of the new port, Mr. Ashraf, Minister of Port Development and Rehabilitation of Sri Lanka, proposed to hold a meeting of the sister ports concerned, to which Governor Hashimoto of Kochi Prefecture, Japan agreed.
 In response, the Sri Lanka Ports and Harbors Authority (SSPA) proposed that a conference be held in Colombo City from November 17 to 19, 1998, with the participation of six sister and friendship ports of Kochi and Colombo: Subic Bay in the Philippines, Tanjungpura in Indonesia, Qingdao in China, and New Orleans in the United States. The symposium was held under the theme of "World Peace through Sister Ports.
 In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, Governor Hashimoto announced the establishment of the “Port Network Alliance” based on sister ports, which aims to exchange and share information on shipping and ports, to study and discuss measures to promote mutual exchange, and to build a world-class port network to meet the needs of shipping by forming a network within the region to which each participating port belongs. The proposal was also based on the concept of a “Port Network Alliance” based on sister ports, with the aim of creating a world-class port network to meet the needs of shipping. Minister Ashraf further developed this proposal by proposing the establishment of an international network of sister ports, the International Network of Affiliated Ports (INAP), which was agreed upon by the participating ports. The basic agreement on the establishment of INAP was summarized in the Declaration of Establishment.