Singapore

FOR Pacific International Lines' (PIL) 66-year-old executive chairman Teo Siong Seng, the year 2021 began as a crisis: he had to quickly solicit creditors' support for a scheme of arrangement to save the boxship operator once held closely by his family from sinking under a sea of debt.

"I think it's a year full of adventures... Nobody knew what's going to happen when we started the year," said Teo, who is better known as SS Teo.