Business

Dan-Bunkering, Bunker Holding and CEO guilty of Syria sanctions violations; fined USD 5.17 million in total

Dan-Bunkering was fined USD 4.56 million; Bunker Holding received a USD 610,000 penalty while its CEO Keld R Demant faces a conditional prison sentence of four months in prison, according to court judgement.

Published

5 years ago

December 14, 2021

Admin

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Disclaimer: An online translation service was used in the production of the current editorial piece which is based from the Court of Odense’s judgement.

The Court in Odense on Tuesday (14 December) found Dan-Bunkering, Bunker Holding and its CEO guilty of sanctions violations where the parties negligently supplied a total of approximately 172,000 metric tonnes (mt) of jet fuel for use in Syria, according to the judgement seen by Manifold Times.

The violations specifically relate to eight trades of jet fuel that took place in the period between the period of February to May 2017.

Dan-Bunkering was found to had sold jet fuel to two Russian companies which were general agents for the Russian navy and conducted a total of 33 trades with deliveries to the eastern Mediterranean in the period between October 2015 to May 2017.

In all cases, the trades were concluded from Dan-Bunkering’s branch office in Kaliningrad, Russia.

A review of the trade documents, mails, unloading documents and AIS data proved the Russian companies, after receiving the jet fuel from Dan-Bunkering, had delivered the jet fuel in the Syrian port of Port Banias after which the jet fuel had been used by the Russian air force for military operations in Syria.

“The Court found that the deliveries objectively constituted infringements of EU sanctions,” stated the judgement.

Opinion of the judges at court

The majority of the judges found it was “overwhelmingly probable” that Dan-Bunkering must have realised the jet fuel would be used by the Russian military in Syria for all 33 trades, according to the judgement.

Further, since the trades were entered into by Russian employees at Dan-Bunkering’s branch office in Kaliningrad the staff must have been aware of the Russian intervention in Syria.

It was also emphasised the two Russian companies had not purchased jet fuel from Dan-Bunkering prior to October 2015; based on the amount of jet fuel delivered and on Dan-Bunkering’s knowledge that the two companies were general agents of the Russian fleet – the jet fuel should be used by the Russian military.

The minority at the court found that since one Russian company was sanctioned by the US authorities from September 2016, it was only after that date which Dan-Bunkering committed an intentional violation of EU sanctions.

The same group also agreed Dan-Bunkering negligently violated sanctions as the company should have realised the Russian companies supplied jet fuel for use in Syria which is in violation of EU sanctions.

Unanimously, the judges found Bunker Holding and Keld R. Demant to have contributed to a negligent violation of EU sanctions. Both should have stopped trading with the Russian company after the Danish Business Authority’s inquiry to Dan-Bunkering in December 2016, and after internal investigations by the group.

Prosecution and defence’s recommendations to the judge

The prosecution demanded Dan-Bunkering, Bunker Holding and its CEO be sentenced in accordance with the indictment.

They argued Dan-Bunkering should be fined DKK 319 million (USD 48.54 million) corresponding to approximately half of the amount for which jet fuel had been sold.

Bunker Holding should be fined DKK 81 million (USD 12.32 million) while its CEO Keld R. Demant should be punished with imprisonment for two years, according to principles related to the eight trades of jet fuel.

Lawyers representing the defendants maintained their claims of acquittal and argued a possible fine to the companies was to be calculated on the basis of the companies’ profits from the trades which amounted to less than 3%.

Court’s judgement

By the court’s judgment, Dan-Bunkering was fined DKK 30 million (USD 4.56 million), and Bunker Holding received a DKK 4 million (USD 610,000) fine.

Both fines are measured on the basis of the companies’ profits from the trades; the fine for Dan-Bunkering’s intentional violation of the rules is measured at approximately double the profit, while the fine for Bunker Holding’s negligent infringement is measured so that it roughly corresponds to the profit of the last eight trades of jet fuel.

CEO Keld R. Demant has been sentenced to four months in prison, which has been made conditional.

The court also emphasised, amongst other things, that Keld R. Demant is only punished for negligent violation of the sanctions.

In addition, Dan-Bunkering has confiscated the dividends from the traders which have been calculated by the court to be approximately DKK 15.65 million (USD 2.38 million).

Editor’s note: The judgement from the Court in Odense written in Danish can be found here.

Note: Earlier Manifold Times coverage regarding Bunker Holding/Dan-Bunkering’s alleged breaches of EU sanctions can be found below:

Photo credit: Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash
Published: 14 December, 2021

Technology

Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform, with Ocean Network Express as its first buyer-side integration partner.

Published

2 hours ago

July 22, 2026

Admin

Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti, the digital platform for maritime fuel operations, on Tuesday (21 July) said it has started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform.

The company announced Singapore-headquartered container shipping firm Ocean Network Express (ONE) as its first buyer-side integration partner.

“It is no coincidence we start in Singapore, as the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) remains at the forefront of digitalisation of all things bunkering,” the company said in a social media post.

In November 2023, MPA launched its digital bunkering platform, becoming the world’s first port to implement e-BDN.

Ofiniti said every bunker delivery still runs on retyped data.

“The buyer’s system says one thing, the supplier says another, and someone reconciles the gap by email, phone, or PDF. On every stem,” the company said.

“We built FuelBoss to change this reality.”

With the integration, operational data now flows without manual re-entry, fewer reconciliation errors and faster processing and data, instead of documents, are readily available for procurement and claims workflows.

“One connection will not transform the industry on its own, but digitalisation gets built one integration at a time. We are grateful to ONE for being willing to go first,” Ofiniti added.

Manifold Times previously reported ONE completing its successful trial of the electronic Bunker Delivery Note (e-BDN) with Shell.

The e-BDN trial, using the digital bunkering solution developed by Angsana Technology, was conducted on 9 September 2023 at the Port of Singapore, with support from the MPA.

In March 2025, Ofiniti acquired Singapore-based Angsana Technology, with the entire Angsana team joining Ofiniti as part of the acquisition.

Photo credit: Ofiniti
Published: 22 July, 2026

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Published

24 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July).

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions.

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Published

24 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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Manifold Times

Dan-Bunkering, Bunker Holding and CEO guilty of Syria sanctions violations; fined USD 5.17 million in total

Business

Dan-Bunkering, Bunker Holding and CEO guilty of Syria sanctions violations; fined USD 5.17 million in total

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