Algar worked for a spell in a bank after the war, but the call of the sea lured him to serve with a small Greek company trading out of South Africa, as well as on ships operated by South African Lines, Mollers of Hong Kong, and Safmarine, and on South African harbour tugs. The time with Mollers was particularly interesting. He joined their Alpha Oranje in Durban at the start of a long voyage to Hong Kong via India and Aden. A spell on a salvage tug proved useful later during his career with Unicorn as did his service on Louise Moller, a tanker that tried to break a blockade by the Nationalist Chinese in the approaches to Shanghai.

His first command was SAL’s Kaapland and he also spent time in London as the company’s cargo superintendent. After his return to South Africa he was appointed master of Point Shipping Company’s Komati, formerly Smith’s coaster Mead. He responded favourably to an approach from Ron Sellick to join Smith’s Coasters as their marine manager and became a familiar figure on Maydon Wharf for years, taking personal interest in the cargo operations and the running of the ships. The report of the manager of Smith’s Coasters in June 1956 included a note about Basil Algar:

The employment of Captain Algar as Marine Superintendent has raised and is still continuing to raise the standard of our operation at Maydon Wharf, and the standard of our ships’ maintenance and husbandry out of all recognition. Captain Algar has proved eminently successful in the job for which he was employed.His initial misgivings about the merger with African Coasters were put aside as Algar moved from stevedoring manager in 1966 to marine manager of Unicorn in 1968, positions he found extremely challenging and exciting as he was still directly involved in cargo handling innovations and found the team with whom he worked extremely good. The highlight of the career of this remarkable man – who also had an intense love of fine art and a proven ability as an artist and cellist – was his appointment to the Unicorn board as marine director in February 1975. When he retired in 1984 he could certainly reflect on an unusually interesting and varied career in shipping. His experience had been invaluable to the company as it embarked on a fleet renewal programme, developed containerization, and ventured into the offshore supply vessel business. At both Smiths and Unicorn Algar was personally responsible for improving the management systems for the ships’ operations and for tighter discipline aboard the vessels. Overall, his contribution led to a more efficient coastal shipping industry

Extract from the book History of Unicorn Shipping Lines.

Basil Algar, sent to the four masted steamer Sontay as a cadet after leaving the training ship General Botha and joining Union-Castle in 1941, spent the entire war on the former Vichy French troopship that has been captured while on a voyage from Madagascar by a joint South African and British naval squadron. She had been brought to Durban, where her accommodation was modified to carry over 1 800 troops, and she was placed under Union-Castle management. Shortly after sailing from Durban, the ship came under attack from a submarine in the Mozambique Channel, but the Royal Navy gunnery crew fought off the submarine with the vessel’s six inch gun mounted on the poop. Surviving several aerial attacks in the Mediterranean, the ship moved troops along the North African coast, participated in the invasion of Italy and then sailed for India to take troops to Burma. Indeed, she carried the first British troops up the river in Burma after the occupation of that country by the Japanese.