Captain Syed Fazil Binyahya

Today, Captain Syed Fazil Binyahya, 58, is not only a veteran offshore vessel master but also a resident consultant and operations director with Wise Innovations Sdn Bhd.

He is also the managing director and chief executive officer of Crystal Offshore Sdn Bhd, an offshore marine service provider.

Born in Singapore (then Malaya), Capt Syed Fazil embarked on a sailing career after completing his Senior Cambridge in the late 60s.

He started out as a deck boy on a Greek cargo vessel.

"I had wanted to travel and the cheapest way was to work on a ship.

"I started out in the engine room but found it claustrophobic, so I asked if I could be moved to the deck instead," he recalled, adding that he lasted only a week in the engine room.

He progressed from a sailor to an able seaman on cargo vessels, oil tankers and bulk carriers, completing five and half years of sea time.

"This was required of me before I could take up my Mate Home Trade/Near Coastal certificate of competency in navigational studies at the Singapore Polytechnic.I later took up my Master's degree at ALAM," he said.

After sailing on cargo vessels and oil tankers, Capt Syed Fazil wanted a change and decided to move into the offshore support vessel (OSV) sector.

In the early 70s, he joined Offshore Logistics as its chief officer and later moved on to several companies, which conducted similar activities until he ended his sailing days in 1996.His last position was as a Captain with Smit Lloyd (M) Sdn Bhd.

He joined Borcos Shipping Sdn Bhd in Miri as a fleet manager cum general manager and later Petronas Carigali as a marine superintendent at its Kemaman Supply Base in 2001.

He moved into freelance OSV consultancy in 2003.

He has fond memories of his seafaring days which exposed him to the various cultures, people, food and places around the world.