SBMA's Salonga new head of Asian ports network

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano Salonga was formally named the 10th chairman of the International Network of Affiliated Ports (INAP) on Tuesday. Salonga, credited for the successful re-focusing of Subic's development thrust into the maritime industry, was unanimously voted into the post by members of the INAP network, reports the Thai News Service.

Salonga (pictured-center), who holds the rank of a commodore in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, replaces outgoing chairman Gov. Masanao Ozaki of the Kochi Prefecture.

In accepting the chairmanship, Salonga said he is willing to steer INAP "towards not only survival, but also expansion during these challenging times." He said the INAP should expand further by forging deeper relationships between member ports and intensifying the recruitment of new members into the organisation.

The group, which was formed in 1998, has seven members: the ports of Subic and Cebu in the Philippines, Kochi port in Japan, Mokpo Newport in South Korea, Tanjung Perak in Indonesia, Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Qingdao in China. SeaTradeAsia-Online