PIL names former PSA executive Wan Chee Foong as CEO from April 2027

Pacific International Lines has picked former PSA International executive Wan Chee Foong as its next chief executive, with the Singapore carrier confirming he will succeed Lars Kastrup in April 2027.

The handover is already underway. Wan joined PIL as deputy CEO on October 5, following a board-led succession process announced in September. He gets a six-month transition working alongside Kastrup before the incumbent steps back into an advisory role with the board.

Who is Wan Chee Foong?

Wan brings nearly 30 years in transport and logistics. His CV reads like a map of Singapore Inc's maritime interests.

• Regional CEO for the Middle East and South Asia at PSA International
• Head of group business and commercial development at the port group
• Leader of supply chain arm PSA BDP
• Nine years at state investor Temasek, most recently managing director for corporate strategy
• Board seat at Saudi shipping group Bahri

That mix of port operations, freight logistics and investment strategy signals PIL's board wants a leader who can manage both the fleet and the balance sheet behind it.

What did Kastrup deliver?

Kastrup joined PIL in 2020 and took the top job in July 2022, running a turnaround that has reshaped the carrier. Under his watch the fleet expanded by more than 50%, to around 500,000 teu.

Fleet renewal is the clearest proof. Ten LNG dual-fuel ships were delivered by the first half of 2026. Another 18 LNG-powered newbuildings and 14 long-term charter vessels are expected through 2029.

Kastrup summed up the inheritance his successor will manage. PIL now had, he said, "a renewed fleet, a largely owned agency network, a strong balance sheet and the trust of customers."

What comes with the new order book?

The succession news landed alongside fresh tonnage. PIL has ordered seven 1,400 teu methanol-ready containerships at China's Huanghai Shipbuilding, a combined 9,800 teu of capacity.

Deliveries run between 2029 and 2030. The vessels will be deployed primarily on intra-Asia and Pacific Islands trades, extending PIL's multi-fuel strategy from LNG into methanol-ready tonnage in its core regional networks.

What does this mean for shippers?

For intra-Asia shippers, continuity looks assured. A six-month transition and an advisory role for Kastrup mean no sudden strategic break, and the newbuilding pipeline through 2030 signals committed capacity on regional lanes rather than a carrier trimming ambition.

For forwarders and BCOs, the bigger question is whether Wan's PSA and BDP background pushes PIL closer to integrated logistics play. Nothing in the announcement says so explicitly, but his resume spans exactly the agency, ports and supply chain layers PIL now owns more of.

Wan takes over a carrier in growth mode — 500,000 teu, dual-fuel tonnage arriving through 2029, and methanol-ready ships entering the order book — with the next test being whether that momentum holds in an intra-Asia market where fuel choice and fleet age increasingly decide who wins the contract.