According to Singapore’s Police Coast Guard (PCG), a total of 13 men were arrested for illegal sale of Marine Gas Oil in two separate cases on 30 July and 1 August 2017.
In particular, on 30 July 2017, PCG received information about an illegal sale of MGO at the sea off Jurong Shipyard. PCG officers followed up and conducted investigations on a Singapore registered tugboat with eight crew members on board. It was revealed that the crew members had sold twenty Metric tonnes of MGO, which has a market value of S$12,840, to the crew of another foreign registered tugboat. The eight crew members were arrested and cash amounting to S$9,000 was seized.
Further, on 1 August 2017, PCG arrested another five men for their suspected involvement in illegal sale of three metric tonnes of MGO valued at about S$1,650.
The PCG received a tip-off about an illegal sale of MGO at the sea off Penjuru on 1 August 2017 and conducted investigations on a Singapore registered tugboat with five crew members on board. Three metric tonnes of MGO was found hidden in a compartment. Preliminary investigations revealed that the crew members had misappropriated the three metric tonnes of MGO with the intention to sell them for monetary gain.
If convicted, all the 13 individuals arrested shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to 15 years, and shall also be liable to a fine.
Commander of the Police Coast Guard, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SAC) Hsu Sin Yun noted that “PCG will spare no efforts and continue to step up enforcement against such offenders.”