Muhammad Jalaluddin Sayeed (1 December 1920 - 17 September 2005) was a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

maritime sailor and industry veteran who was the founding director of

Neptune Orient Lines Neptune Orient Lines Limited (NOL) was a Singaporean container shipping company. It was founded in 1968 as Singapore's national shipping line, but was later sold as a subsidiary to French shipping company CMA CGM in 2016. On 1 October 2020, NO ...

(NOL), a

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

-based shipping company. He had vast experience as a maritime sailor.

Biography

Early life

Sayeed was born in December 1920 in Hyderabad, Deccan. His father, Dr. Lateef Sayeed, was the secretary of the Indian National Congress of Hyderabad state, a journalist, and friend to

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

, to the Nizam of Hyderabad, to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and to Jawaharlal Nehru.

Syed Mohammad Ahsan Syed Mohammad Ahsan ( born December 1920 – died August 1989) often known as S. M. Ahsan, was a senior admiral of the Pakistan Navy who was the Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Navy, serving under President Ayub Khan from 1966 until 1 ...

, the Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy from 1966 to 1969, was his first cousin.

Professional career

In 1939, Sayeed signed on ''Jalapadma'', a converted cargo vessel, owned by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. In 1947, Sayeed qualified as a Master in London. He returned to Bombay to help organize the Maritime Union of India. In 1952, went back to London to study for his Extra Master Mariner's certificate. In 1953, after getting his certificate, he returned to the sea until 1956 when he came ashore to stay. He later joined Karachi's National Shipping Corporation as a marine superintendent in 1960, and worked his way up to become the commercial manager.

Building Singapore maritime industry

In 1968, the Singapore government requested the government of Pakistan for an expert to advise them on the formation of a shipping company. Sayeed was chosen for this task by the Pakistan government, a decision which the

Pakistan National Shipping Corporation The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) is a Pakistani national flag carrier headquartered in Karachi. The corporation is principally engaged in the business of shipping, including charter of vessels, transportation of cargo and prov ...

agreed to as well. In Singapore, Sayeed formed

(NOL) in 1969 and worked there until 1973. At the time of his departure, the then Prime Minister,

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised ...

, wrote him the following farewell letter: During his career at NOL,

Goh Chok Tong Goh Chok Tong (born 20 May 1941) is a Singaporean former politician who served as the second prime minister of Singapore from 1990 to 2004 and as a senior minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2011. He served as the secretary-general of the Peo ...

worked as a financial controller under him in NOL. After his death, Goh sent the following message to his wife Zareena:

Legacy

In 2006, NOL established Scholarship is in memory of the late Muhammad Jalaluddin Sayeed for Master of Science in Maritime Studies jointly offered at

Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1981, it is also the second oldest autonomous university in the country. The university is organised across numerous colleges and schools, includi ...

and

Norwegian School of Management BI Norwegian Business School () is a Norwegian specialized university that provides education and conducts research primarily in the fields of business and economics, marketing, strategy, management, and administration. BI is organized as a self ...

. In NOL's own words, "It (the scholarship) recognises Sayeed's pioneering spirit and his contributions to NOL and the maritime industry in Singapore."

Personal life

Sayeed married Zareena Sayeed, and had 4 daughters, Mahjabeen, Nazneen, Lubna and Fatima. He is also first cousin of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayeed, Muhammad Jalaluddin 1920 births 2005 deaths Muhajir people 20th-century Pakistani people Pakistani sailors Pakistani expatriates in Singapore Businesspeople from Karachi Pakistani people of Hyderabadi descent Pakistani company founders Indian emigrants to Pakistan