Former Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) chairman and chief executive Lua Cheng Eng has passed away. He was 72.
Lua died at home on Tuesday evening five years after he fell into a coma from which he only made a partial recovery.
In 2005, he tripped and fell while on a working trip to Beijing. He hurt his head and underwent an operation to remove a blood clot.
Lua’s face and name became synonymous with the Singapore national flag carrier liner, where he spent 33 years of his career.
He was chief executive of the company for twenty years between 1979 and 1999, after which he became chairman until 2002.
Lua also presided over one of the most important transactions in Singapore’s maritime history through the merger of NOL and APL in 1997.
“NOL is deeply saddened by the loss of Lua Cheng Eng. He built up NOL from a small shipping line to a major carrier with 120 ships,” NOL said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the family and friends of Mr Lua,” said NOL Chairman Cheng Wai Keung.
“The NOL Group is today the fifth-largest container shipping company in the world. We could not have achieved this position without Lua’s bold vision and years of contributions to the enterprise,” he said.
Ron Widdows, NOL’s chief executive, recalled Lua as a highly respected shipping leader saying his influence over the shipping industry was felt “around the world.”
NOL chief financial officer Cedric Foo added: “Lua did not seek the public spotlight, but his leadership, clear thinking and strategic approach to business issues set him apart.”
Lua also service as president of BIMCO in 1993 and was president of the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) for 18 years until 2003.
SSA president Teo Siong Seng said Lua had always been “very passionate about the Singapore shipping industry.”
“He had envisioned Singapore to be developed into a maritime centre like London. Much of what we are today owes much to his leadership in the SSA.”
