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Shell MGO bunker heist: Chemical oil tanker “M/T Prime South” forfeited by State Courts of Singapore

Pai Kheng Pheng of Sentek Marine & Trading Pte Ltd on Thursday (8 October) was ordered remanded for a further week for investigations, AGC spokesperson informs Manifold Times.
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The chemical oil tanker M/T Prime South, which was seized on 8 January 2018 due to its involvement in the Shell MGO heist, has been forfeited by the State Courts of Singapore on Friday (9 October), learned Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times.

Principal District Judge (PDJ) Ong Hian Sun deem the forfeiture of M/T Prime South to the state appropriate under section 364(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), according to documents provided by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

The learned PDJ found Prime Shipping Corporation, a Vietnamese company that is the registered owner of M/T Prime South, to be complicit in the misappropriation of gasoil from Shell Pulau Bukom through the acts of Tran Quan Tuan, its former Chairman, Tran faces 22 charges for abetting the dishonest receipt of stolen gasoil and currently remains at large.

A factor which weighed heavily in favour of forfeiture was M/T Prime South being extensively used to receive misappropriated gasoil from Shell Pulau Bukom.

PDJ Ong also found forfeiture to be appropriate due to the gravity of the serious offences that were committed using M/T Prime South, given the sheer quantum and value of gasoil misappropriated.

In total, Shell lost an estimated SGD 198 million over a span of three years; investigations found two teams of Shell employees, namely team ‘A’ and ‘D’ respectively misappropriating an estimated SGD 128 million and SGD 70 million in gasoil between at least 2014 and 2018.

To date, probes revealed all eight vessels owned or operated by Prime Shipping Corporation had stopped at Shell Pulau Bukom between 2016 and 2018 to receive stolen gasoil totalling an estimated USD 33 million.

Over USD 7 million was received by M/T Prime South; the remaining seven vessels include M/T Prime South, M/T Prime Splendour, M/T Gaea and M/T Prime Sun.

Forfeiture, as such, will also deter Prime Shipping Corporation from using or allowing its other vessels to be used for offences at the bunkering port of Singapore.

M/T Prime South is valued at about USD 4.5million (or USD 3 million at forced sale).

Relation of case to Sentek Marine & Trading

The above development is related to a recent charge faced by the Founder of Singapore bunker supplier Sentek Marine & Trading, Pai Keng Pheng, according to an AGC spokesperson.

“This is related to the Pai Keng Pheng / Sentek arrest and charging, as both arise from the Shell Bukom case, although Sentek has nothing to do with this ship, which is owned by the Vietnamese company Prime Shipping,” a spokesperson told Manifold Times on Friday (9 October).

“Our case is that Prime Shipping and Sentek were companies that separately bought the misappropriated fuel from the rogue Shell Bukom employees. PKP was ordered to be remanded for a further week for investigations yesterday [8 October].”

Legal commentary on forfeiture by Helmsmen LLC

The forfeiture of a ship relates to the confiscation of property used to commit an offence. Singapore judges have discretion under the Criminal Procedure Code (section 364(2)) to make an order forfeiting property to the state.  A forfeiture order may be made either during or after the conclusion of criminal proceedings, according to Maureen Poh, Director of international shipping and commodity law firm Helmsman LLC.

The purposes of a forfeiture order are: (a) a form of punishment; (b) a deterrent to future crimes; (c) a way to prevent crime by removing the means that facilitated its commission; and (d) to ensure that the defendant cannot benefit from the proceedings of his crime.  Singapore’s Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act is another way in which the proceedings of criminal acts may be forfeited by the state.

Forfeiture of a ship is a rather uncommon measure meted out by the courts.  The state must prove the connection between the property and the defendant’s criminal conduct.  Third party interests in the ship might also play a role, for example, where the bank has a mortgage over the ship.

Earlier coverage of developments regarding the Shell MGO bunker heist can be found below:

Related: Shell MGO bunker heist: Founder of Sentek face charge at State Courts of Singapore
Related: Singapore: Shell MGO bunker heist amount balloons to USD$142 million
Related: Shell MGO bunker heist update: Fresh charges issued at Singapore court
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: More charges issued at court
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: Nine charged offered bail
Related: Singapore bunker employee faces additional charges
Related: Intertek Singapore employee among Shell oil heist suspects
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist update: More individuals charged
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: Shipowner should have conducted a charterer check
Related: Fuel syndicate busted at Singapore Shell Bukom
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: Breakdown of stolen oil cargoes

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 12 October, 2020

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Legal

Shell Singapore charged over Pulau Bukom oil leaks, reporting delays

Shell faces four charges under Singapore’s Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act over two 2024 oil discharge incidents at its Pulau Bukom facility.
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2 MPA craft (left) supporting Shell craft in the clean up operations of the oil sheens taken on 28 Dec 9am

Shell Singapore has been charged over two incidents in 2024 involving oily mixtures discharged into Singapore waters from its facilities at Pulau Bukom, according to media reports on Tuesday (22 September). 

The company faces four charges under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, including allegations that it failed to report the discharges to the port master immediately. 

The first incident occurred on 20 October 2024, when approximately 40 metric tonnes (mt) of oily mixture was discharged through a hole in a pipeline at the Shell Singapore Energy and Chemicals Park at about 8am.

Shell is accused of reporting the incident to the port master at about 12.55pm, several hours after the discharge occurred. 

The second incident took place between 26 and 28 December 2024. An estimated 485kg to 956kg of oil mixture was discharged into Singapore waters from the same facility.

Shell is accused of failing to report the incident immediately, with notification to the port master made at about 11.50am on 26 December 2024, according to the charges.

Singapore’s pollution-prevention regulations require occupiers of such facilities to report oil or oily-mixture discharges into Singapore waters “without delay and to the fullest extent possible”.

Shell’s representative requested an eight-week adjournment at the 22 September hearing, citing the need to obtain internal instructions, appoint counsel and locate historical records. The company said the business associated with the incidents had been divested in 2025.

The case was adjourned to October. Shell is also facing prosecution by Singapore’s National Environment Agency over the same incidents.

Related: Shell reports up to 40 mt of slop leaked from pipeline into Singapore waters
Related: Singapore: No new oil sightings after recent pipeline leak and bunkering incidents
Related: Singapore: Clean-up of oil from Shell pipeline leak to be completed in days
Related: Singapore: Oil leak at Pulau Bukom stopped; cleanup of oil sheens completed

 

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 25 September, 2026

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Incident

MPA probes Singapore Strait collision involving fishing vessel, bulk carrier

MPA says there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel in the incident involving China-registered fishing vessel “Lu Qing Yuan Yu” and Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux” .

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Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux”

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (22 September) said it is investigating the incident involving the China-registered fishing vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu and the Panama-registered bulk carrier First Margaux in the Singapore Strait on 17 September.

MPA said there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel or pollution arising from the incident and navigational traffic was not affected.

Videos circulating on social media showed the bulk carrier colliding with the fishing vessel.  

“The fishing vessel took on water during the incident but remained afloat and stable, with the crew taking measures to manage the situation onboard,” MPA said. 

The vessel was subsequently towed to Raffles Reserved Anchorage for assessment. 

Essential crew remained onboard to support the tow, while the Singapore Civil Defence Force supported the transfer of other crew to shore. 

MPA added it also issued navigational safety broadcasts to keep other vessels clear of the tow and escorted the vessel into port with a MPA craft.

 

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Arnold Pohen
Published: 25 September, 2026

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Mass Flowmeter

TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Bunker barge “Kingston Trader” is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.
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TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Global marine fuel supply and procurement firm TFG Marine on Thursday (24 September) said its bunker barge Kingston Trader is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

The company said the latest installation brings the proportion of TFG Marine’s fleet equipped with MFMs to approximately 88%, marking another step in the continued rollout of this technology across its global bunkering operations.

“The barge will operate in Jamaica through our local partnership with Scott Petroleum, becoming the first bunkering vessel in the region equipped with this technology and bringing greater accuracy, transparency and assurance to fuel measurement for customers across the Caribbean,” TFG Marine said in a social media post. 

“Together with Scott Petroleum, we look forward to working collaboratively with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, the The Port Authority of Jamaica, Petrojam Limited and other stakeholders to share our experience of MFM technology, explore its wider benefits and support the continued development of bunkering standards across the region.” 

Manifold Times previously reported TFG Marine continuing to expand MFM technology across its US Gulf Coast bunker fleet with Buffalo B414 and Buffalo B304 being fitted with the equipment. 

Last year, TFG Marine announced it reached a key milestone in its global digitalisation programme with the installation of an ISO 22192-compliant MFM on the Buffalo 404, a barge on time charter from American bunker barge company Buffalo Marine Service Inc.

The installation was part of TFG Marine’s wider strategy to equip close to 90% of its global bunkering fleet with MFMs by 2026 as a commitment towards improving data integrity, streamlining operations and strengthening trust in marine fuel transactions.

Related: TFG Marine advances global MFM rollout with two US Gulf bunker barges
Related: TFG Marine installs first ISO-certified mass flow meter on US Gulf bunkering barge

 

Photo credit: TFG Marine
Published: 25 September, 2026

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