Eugene Seah

Eugene Seah is a professional in logistics. He brings more than 30 years of port management experience across Singapore, the Middle East, China, and the Caspian - along with a career-long discipline for applying rigorous operational standards to complex, high-growth environments. For over a decade he served as a Chief Operating Officer of the Baku International Sea Trade Port, transforming a regional facility into one of Eurasia's most strategically connected maritime gateways.

Build where others see barriers.

Eugene began his career at PSA Corporation, then the operator of the world's busiest container port. Based in Singapore and working across terminals in the Middle East and China throughout the 1990s, he was part of the team that planned the Pasir Panjang container terminal - one of the largest automated port facilities in Asia - and ran early trials of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs): self-driving machines that move containers through a terminal without human operators. He also led the conceptual design and joint venture negotiations for a new terminal in Yemen, his first major engagement in a frontier maritime market.

In 2004, Eugene joined Jurong Port as Vice President covering both commercial and operations - responsible for new customer development, contract management, and the physical movement of cargo across general, bulk, and container terminals. Over eleven years, he grew the port's container volume from zero to one million TEUs. A TEU, or Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, is the standard measure of container shipping capacity - roughly equivalent to one standard shipping container. The bulk container segment under his leadership came to contribute more than half of the port's total net profit. He also managed Jurong Port's corporatisation: the conversion from a state-run entity into a privately structured company, which required rebuilding commercial and operational frameworks from the ground up.

Eugene moved to Baku in 2015 to take on the role of Chief Operating Officer at a port that was operating well below its strategic potential. Since then, he has overseen a full doubling of container and overall cargo throughput, managed infrastructure and asset handovers totalling $700 million, and established the port's Project Management Office - the internal body that coordinates major infrastructure programs and keeps them aligned with Azerbaijan's long-term national transport strategy.

In parallel, Eugene has made the Port of Baku a regional benchmark for environmental responsibility. In 2019, the port became the first in the Caspian region to earn EcoPort certification - a standard issued by the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) recognising ports that actively manage their environmental footprint. He is currently overseeing both the port's Climate Action Plan through 2035 and its Net-Zero 2030 emissions program. He also led the port's accession to the United Nations Global Compact, a framework through which organisations commit to responsible environmental, social, and governance practices.

On the international stage, Eugene is a recognised voice on the Middle Corridor - the multimodal trade route connecting China and Central Asia to Europe via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. He has represented the Port of Baku at conferences including TOC Europe in Rotterdam, TOC Asia, and the Trans-Caspian Forum in Washington, D.C. He has also advised the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and UNCTAD - the United Nations body for trade and development - on Maritime Single Window architecture: the digital systems that allow ports, customs authorities, and shipping companies to exchange documents through a unified interface rather than separate, incompatible platforms.

Before his career in port management, Eugene served as Chief Physical Training Instructor at the Singapore School of Naval Training. Away from work, he has completed three Ironman triathlons - each comprising a 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle, and a full marathon - and has competed in canoeing and golf.