SINGAPORE – Eight men have been arrested and charged over their alleged involvement in the illegal sale of marine gas oil (MGO).
The men – all Indonesians – were caught after Police Coast Guard officers conducted a routine check on a Singapore-registered vessel on Oct 10 and found that some crew members could be involved in the illicit trade of the distillate marine fuel.
The discovery led the officers to intercept a foreign tugboat and to arrest several crew members from both vessels.
On Oct 11, Ahmad Fairus, 36; Fajar Seeng, 41; and Achmad Junaedi, 29, were each handed one charge for misappropriating 8,000 litres of MGO that was stored on board a Singapore-registered vessel.
According to the police, the MGO was valued at around $6,917.
Charge sheets show that Fairus, Junaedi and Seeng were employed by Hiap Shing Shipping.
Sutrisno Bogimin, 61; Heriadi, 33; Mion Gosjen James, 54; Satria Mahardika, 24; and Suriyanto, 49, are accused of receiving the misappropriated MGO while on board a Tanzania-registered vessel within Singapore’s territorial waters.
On Oct 11, they were each handed a charge for dishonestly receiving stolen property.
Preliminary investigations so far have indicated that the offence took place at around 8pm on Oct 4, in the vicinity of the sea off Tuas.
Fairus, Junaedi and Seeng are accused of selling the misappropriated MGO to the crew members of the Tanzania-registered vessel.
The foreign vessel has been seized as part of the investigations.
All eight men will be held in remand for further investigations and return to court on Oct 17.
Those found guilty of criminal breach of trust by employees can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined. Those found guilty of dishonestly receiving stolen property can be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.
In a statement on Oct 11, the police said they take a serious view on illegal transactions of MGO within Singapore’s territorial waters.
“The authorities will continue to conduct enforcement and security checks to prevent, deter and detect such illicit activities in Singapore waters,” said the police.
