After 33 years at sea, captain joins son as a lawyer

2026-03-09 - 23:24

Captain Somaasundram Sinnathamby and son, Siva Prasad, at the High Court in Penang after they were called to the Bar. (Somaasundram Sinnathamby pic) GEORGE TOWN: After 33 years navigating oceans around the world, a Penang sea captain has finally come ashore – at the Bar – standing proudly beside his son. Master mariner Capt Somaasundram Sinnathamby, 58, was recently called as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court on the same day as his eldest son, Siva Prasad, 26. For Somaasundram, better known as Soma, the moment marked the fulfilment of a promise he made decades ago to his late father. “I did it to fulfil my late father’s dream. He always wanted me to be a lawyer,” he told FMT. “I’m not the type to give up. I live by the motto ‘winners never quit and quitters never win’.” The road to the Bar, however, began far from any courtroom. In his younger days, Soma worked odd jobs, including as a waiter at the Penang Sports Club, before joining shipping company Neptune Orient Lines in 1991. He built his career at sea, undergoing training at Singapore Polytechnic and eventually earning his Certificate of Competency Class 1 (Unlimited) from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. The qualification allowed him to command ships of any size on routes anywhere in the world. Yet even while navigating global shipping lanes, Soma never forgot his father’s wish. Between voyages, he enrolled in Universiti Malaya’s external Bachelor of Jurisprudence programme and studied largely on his own. Soma and Siva stand proud as lawyers with their family. (Somaasundram Sinnathamby pic) It was a demanding path. Studying between long stretches at sea, he cleared 16 out of 17 papers on his first attempt, later resat criminal law and graduated in 2012. Next came the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP), the final professional exam required before one can practise as a lawyer. The exam proved to be the hardest hurdle. “The pressure was the most difficult part,” Soma said. “I was studying on my own without proper guidance, so I didn’t know if I was on the right track.” He eventually passed the CLP on his fourth attempt after returning from sea in April 2024, with barely three months to prepare. Ironically, Soma’s determination also helped shape his son’s future. Prasad had not initially planned to become a lawyer. “My dad always said being a lawyer is a noble profession,” he said. “But what really changed my mind was watching him juggle his studies, our family and his work overseas.” Growing up, Prasad saw little of his father. Soma spent much of his childhood at sea. “He always said he never saw me grow up,” Prasad recalled. “He’d leave when I was crawling and come back to find me standing. Next trip, he’d return and I’d already be walking or running.” Their relationship was not always close. “I was mischievous and he was strict. As the eldest, he always told me I had to carry the family name.” But years later, father and son found themselves studying law at the same time. Prasad enrolled at Multimedia University, where he struggled with subjects like land law. Soma stepped in to help. Using his CLP notes, he coached his son through land law and conveyancing, while Prasad helped his father improve his drafting skills for civil procedure. Soma and Siva bonded as father and son when they studied together for their law examinations. (Somaasundram Sinnathamby pic) At one point, the pair even spent weeks studying together in a rented Airbnb. “We’d go out for breakfast, then come back and study the whole day,” Prasad said. “It was just the two of us.” Both eventually passed their papers. Prasad later began his pupillage under senior lawyer K Kumaraendran. Not long after, Soma joined the same firm – meaning father and son ended up doing their training together. They attended Bar events side by side and filed their long call papers together. For Prasad, the experience was unforgettable. “It’s something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life,” he said. Soma agrees. “I didn’t get a chance to watch my son grow up because I was away most of the time. But studying together, I saw him mature into a fine young man.” Having already reached the peak of his maritime career, Soma said law is not about status, but purpose. He now hopes to focus on maritime work and human rights cases. For both father and son, their shared long call represents something deeper than a ceremony in robes. It marks the moment a father who spent decades crossing oceans finally came home – and found his son waiting beside him at the Bar.