Jagdeep Singh Bakshi passed away peacefully on December 6, 2015 in his home in Ladner, BC, Canada. He was born on June 15, 1957 in Allahabad, India and was raised in New Delhi. His father was a customs officer while his mother was an English literature professor in New Delhi University. He is survived by his wife Verinder Kaur (Vinny) and by his three children, Paarull, Urvashi and Varun. Jagdeep was also very devoted to their dog Bruno.

Jagdeep’s career in the maritime industry spanned more than four decades. He trained as a marine engineer in Kolkata, India, and later left India at the age of 17 to work as an engineer aboard ships sailing around the world. He joined Teekay Shipping in April, 1992 and worked on various tankers as chief engineer. In 1994 he came ashore and joined Teekay’s Tokyo office in the role of fleet support. During his time there, he earned the nickname Bakshi-san that was used affectionately by one and all for the rest of his life.

In 1998 Jagdeep relocated with his family to Canada and worked from Teekay’s Vancouver office, initially on various tanker-related projects. He was the technical lead for Teekay’s first Floating Storage Offshore (FSO) vessel, the Dampier Spirit. The Dampier Spirit was Teekay’s first venture into the offshore sector, a significant milestone in the company’s history. The vessel was converted in Singapore then arrived on station off Australia in 1998, where she remains in service. Other FSO projects followed over the years and Jagdeep was fully involved with most of them, while also providing technical support for the fleet.

Jagdeep’s knowledge and his experience made him stand above the rest. He earned great respect in the maritime industry by guiding many successful projects to completion. His industry reputation will stand long into the future, as he has helped so many who have followed in his footsteps. Probably one of Jagdeep’s favourite tasks was taking part in annual superintendent training workshops, where he could pass on knowledge to new superintendents from various companies in the Vancouver region.

He was known as the “man with the white turban” who had no hesitation walking into any room and talking to anyone. His confidence and charisma made him who he was. He was a truly international individual, reflected by his great response when once asked whether he celebrated Christmas: “I celebrate all festive seasons and the holidays of all religions whenever, wherever I am!” His fun-loving, generous, and witty nature made him great company and he will be remembered by many people around the world.

In honour of Jagdeep’s outstanding career in the maritime industry, and his commitment to teaching and training, the Jagdeep Singh Bakshi Scholarship in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering has been established at UBC.

Your donation will pay tribute to Jagdeep’s life by supporting students in the Master of Engineering in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering program who demonstrate leadership and academic excellence.

Your thoughtful support will help carry will carry Jagdeep’s legacy forward by encouraging future generations of engineering students following in his footsteps.