ForeverMissed
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His Life
August 13, 2019
Tan Sri Frank Tsao is a much respected and acclaimed veteran in the shipping industry.

Born in Shanghai in 1925, Mr Tsao graduated from Shanghai’s St. John’s University. He started his career working in family-owned companies engaged in banking, transportation and international trade in Shanghai. He then ventured into shipping companies in Hong Kong, co-founding Great Southern Steamship Co. Ltd in 1949. In 1966, he established International Maritime Carriers (IMC) Ltd. in Hong Kong as a shipping company. It eventually grew into a substantial enterprise with ships transporting a wide range of commodities worldwide.

Throughout his long and illustrious career, Mr Tsao had played a pivotal role in shaping the growth of the maritime industry and in promoting maritime education and research in Asia. In Malaysia, he partnered the Malaysian Government in 1968 to help establish her first national shipping line – the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation Bhd. In 1973, His Majesty, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the Bahasa Malaysia term for “King”) of Malaysia conferred upon Mr Tsao the title of “Tan Sri” in recognition of his many contributions to the country, including the assistance he provided and his investment in Malaysia’s first shipyard, her first seamen’s training institute and the modernisation of her maritime legal framework.

In 2005, Mr Tsao helped to establish the Centre for Maritime Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and sat on the Board of Directors as Chairman. In 2007, he played a key role in establishing the permanent secretariat of the Asian Shipowners Forum (ASF) in Singapore.

He is also the first Asian recipient of the CMA Commodore Award from the Connecticut Maritime Association of the US in 2002. His important contributions to the maritime industry also won him other awards such as “Personality of the Year” by Lloyds Maritime Asia in 1999 and the Silver Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2006, Honorary Citizen Award by the Singapore Government and Lifetime Achievement Award by Seatrade Asia – both in 2008.

He will be dearly missed.