parts of the world. Upon completion of training
after a few months, Ling returned to Singapore
where he began tinkering with the Pasir Panjang
refinery for an eventual expansion and upgrade.
not allowed in or could not make it to the
refinery when the curfew was imposed. Escorted
by armed police guards, fuel deliveries were made
to strategic sites around the island.
Months after BP acquired Maruzen in 1964,
Singapore was rocked by deadly racial riots. BP had
chosen possibly the most risky moment to invest
in Singapore, arriving just in time to experience
the difficult birth passage of an emerging nation
that was already showing signs of collapse.
Less than a year after BP acquired the refinery,
Sir Maurice Bridgeman became its first chairman
to visit Singapore. His visit in February 1965 sent
a clear and strong message that BP was taking
a long term view of its presence in Singapore, with
refining and supply key to its vision and growth
in the region.
After the first riots broke out in July, the government
imposed an island-wide curfew. The Japanese staff
that used to operate the refinery was no longer
around as Maruzen Toyo had completed the sale
and left Singapore. But the full complement of
British and other BP expatriate staff had not arrived
either. The job of looking after the plant during the
crisis period fell on the shoulders of the mostly
Singaporean crew and a BP supervisor, Ken Brock,
who was one of the