By PETRONAS
The waves did not wait for him to be ready.
On one winter voyage in the North Sea, the ship rolled heavily under relentless swells. Equipment had to be secured as loose items were sent sliding across the deck. Even writing in a logbook became a struggle.
“There was no time to even feel seasick,” Irfan Naushir, 33, said. “Everything was moving and flying around.”
For months at a time, this was his reality. Long stretches away from home. Unpredictable weather. A routine dictated not by comfort, but by operations. Sleep came in intervals, and every task, no matter how small, demanded focus.
It was a life only a few fully understood, and one Irfan never planned for.
Born and raised in Petra Jaya, Kuching, he moved to Kuala Lumpur at 11 with his parents and four siblings. He completed his early education at SK Gita and later at Victoria Institution before he had to decide what would come next.
“I wanted to be a chef,” he recalled.
That ambition, like many at that age, evolved. Cooking gave way to architecture, then to a broader search for something practical and sustainable because his parents made it clear that each of their five children needed to find their own way.
When university offers arrived, the opportunity guided his choice. A place at Akademi Laut Malaysia (ALAM), the country’s only dedicated maritime academy, offered a fully sponsored education and a direct pathway into a specialised industry.
Unaware of what lay ahead, Irfan accepted the offer.
At ALAM’s main campus in Melaka, he began the first unscripted chapter of his life, as a cadet. The discipline was strict, routinely structured, and expectations clear. Interest did not come naturally, but Irfan stayed.
“If I started something, I had to finish it. I had to go on, and there was no turning back.”
That mindset carried him to his first voyage at 18, sailing from Bintulu to Japan. Standing on the bridge of a vessel nearly 300 metres long, he watched navigation unfold, unsure if he would ever fully understand it. Years later, he would be the one in command.
By 2014, he began sailing professionally as a third officer with MISC Berhad, the very company that trained him through its maritime academy, ALAM. In 2016, he joined Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a Norwegian company renowned for its global expertise in ship operations, crew management, and maritime safety.
Across oceans and unconventional rise to captain
Irfan’s career quickly became defined by movement across oceans and demanding assignments.
On large LNG carriers, voyages spanned oceans. He would spend months at sea, transporting multi-million-dollar cargo from multiple countries to the Far East, Europe, and the Mediterranean.
On smaller vessels in the North Sea, operations ran almost daily, with tight schedules and frequent cargo loading and transfers across ports in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, leaving little margin for error.
Advancing through the ranks required years of sea time, certifications, and experience. For many, becoming a captain takes more than a decade.
Irfan did it in eight years.
He took additional assignments during his shore leave, sacrificing rest and time with family to accumulate required sea time. It was a demanding trade-off, but one that accelerated his journey.
In 2019, at 26, he earned his master’s license and became a captain in 2022 at the age of 29.
Somewhere along the way, there were lighter moments too.
In one photograph, Irfan looks almost like Tom Cruise, or at least, that was the impression that stayed with the writer. Medium-length wavy hair, tanned skin, a lean build, and an effortless, camera-ready smile made the resemblance hard to ignore, a comparison he found more amusing than accurate. His colleagues, however, were less convinced.
“They begged me not to keep my hair long like that,” said Irfan with a quiet laugh. Now sporting a crew cut, he added, “They said it doesn’t suit me.”
Out at sea, appearance carries little weight. There are no audiences, no expectations beyond the work itself. Hair grows longer, beards come and go, and the mirror matters less than machinery, the weather, and the decisions that must be made.
By 2025, Irfan had sailed with Fratelli Cosulich, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), and worked with Seatrium (formerly known as Semborp Marine), spending roughly seven and a half years of sea time out at sea.
Today, he operates from shore as a Marine & HSEQ Manager with Wilhelmsen Ship Management, overseeing marine operations, safety, and quality assurance across a fleet of 34 gas vessels.
Though no longer navigating storms firsthand, the responsibility remains immense. Based in Kuala Lumpur, he now coordinates across time zones, advises ships on navigation and cargo operations, and responds to incidents that can affect vessels, cargo, and crew.
Once, he relied on his crew and his instincts to navigate storms. Now, he relies on expertise, coordination, and judgment to safeguard vessels, cargo, and lives from land.
For Irfan, the ocean may no longer be beneath his feet, but it remains at the center of everything he does.
ALAM – where it all started
Looking back, Irfan credits ALAM and his early training for shaping his journey. Those formative years provided not just technical skills, but the resilience and decision-making required to navigate demanding careers.
ALAM is Asia’s leading provider of maritime education and training, with a fully equipped 68-acre campus located in the pristine surroundings of Kuala Sungai Baru in Melaka.
Established in 1977 as the Malaysian Maritime Training Centre, ALAM is fully owned by MISC Berhad, a PETRONAS subsidiary and one of the world’s largest shipping conglomerates.
The academy offers a complete spectrum of maritime courses, supported by modern teaching facilities along with the extensive experience and expertise of its full-time local and expatriate instructors.
Irfan emphasises the growing opportunities for young Sarawakians in the maritime sector, as PETRONAS continues to prioritise local talent for offshore and maritime roles. As a result, entry into the industry is now more accessible than before.
“These opportunities can change lives,” he said. “But it will go to waste if you don’t secure it yourself.”
From a young man unsure of his direction to a captain navigating some of the world’s most challenging waters, Irfan’s journey was never straightforward.
It was shaped by long nights, rough seas, and difficult choices. And in the end, it was those very challenges that charted his course.
