Taiwan’s outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou honoured Evergreen Group founder Dr Chang Yung-Fa with a posthumous commendation in recognition of his contributions to international transportation and social welfare during the memorial service today.
Taiwan’s Education Minister and the Minister of Transportation and Communications also offered homage to Dr Chang with the First-Class Professional Education Medal and First-Class Professional Transportation Medal.
Chang died on January 20, aged 88.
Chang lived and breathed shipping all his life, refusing to step back from the empire he had built up since the 1960s. Born in 1927, the son of a seafarer, Chang began his maritime career at the age of 14, working for Japanese line Miname Nippon Steamship’s office in the city of Keelung in northern Taiwan. Taiwan at the time was under Japanese control. Chang would remain very close to Japan throughout his life, showering yards there with massive orders.
After World War II, he joined the seagoing staff of a local shipping company as third officer. His subsequent career was spent with various local companies and he progressed through the ranks to captain.
In 1961, Chang and some friends jointly established a shipping company and, having helped this company to develop, he decided to branch out on his own, establishing Evergreen Marine Corporation on September 1, 1968 with just one secondhand 15,000 dwt bulker, Central Trust.
Over the next four years, Chang built his fleet up to twelve, running them empty when necessary to convince his customers his services were regular and reliable. Within a year, he had expanded to the Middle East. Within three, Chang was dispatching Evergreen ships to the Caribbean.
In 1975, Chang realized that containerisation was the way forward. He built four advanced S-type container ships and launched his US East Coast service. Fifteen months later, he added the West coast of the United States to his network. Europe followed in 1979.
By 1984, he started his most ambitious service yet- two 80-day round-the-world services, one circling the globe in an easterly direction, the other westward. Departing every 10 days, the 20 G-type container ships he employed had a capacity of 2,728 containers each and could travel at a speed of 20.5 knots.
Towards the end of the 1980s, he founded EVA Air, which would go on to become one of Asia’s top airlines.
The posthumous honour today was one of hundreds bestowed upon the tycoon through his nine decades. Chang was feted the world over – friends with top politicians, never afraid to voice his opinion on current affairs and not shy when it came to denouncing rivals.
Chang’s third son has taken over as chairman of the group.
