10 Detained for Alleged Unlawful MGO Transaction

According to the Singapore Police Force, ten individuals were detained for their alleged involvement in a fraudulent Marine Gas Oil (MGO) transaction on August 4, 2022. Officers from the Police Coast Guard (PCG) detained eight crew members of a tugboat registered in Singapore and another four crew members of a foreign-registered tugboat on Thursday as part of a joint operation with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). They were detained because they were allegedly involved in an illegal MGO transaction in the waters off Southern Tuas Basin.

The crew members of the tugboat registered in Singapore are allegedly suspected of misappropriating the MGO without the knowledge of their employer, according to the Singapore Police Force, which states that its investigations have shown this. They are accused of providing fuel for a tugboat whose registration is from outside the country. Police discovered S$8,000, which they assumed to be the sale's proceeds, while searching the tugboat and detaining its crew. The cops seized the ship as well.

Criminal charges have been brought against the six individuals, who worked as crew on the tugboat with a Singaporean registration. They each risk a jail sentence of more than ten years and hefty fines. The four crew members of the foreign tugboat are accused of receiving stolen material with intent to defraud, and they may pay for penalties and spend more than three years in jail.

“The PCG and MPA take a serious view of illegal transactions of MGO in Singapore 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.