Business

Shell MGO bunker heist: Intertek, Inspectorate cargo surveyors plead guilty, jailed between four to eight months

Anand S/O Omprekas, Noruliman Bin Bakti, and Muhammad Khairul Asri Bin Mohamad Hanafiah were tasked to verify the quantity of cargo supplied to vessels by Shell Eastern Petroleum Private Limited.

Published

4 years ago

May 30, 2022

Admin

The State Courts of the Republic of Singapore on Thursday (26 May) issued jail sentences ranging between four to eight months to a total three cargo surveyors from Intertek Testing Services Pte Ltd (Intertek) and Inspectorate Singapore Pte Ltd (Inspectorate) due to their involvement in the Shell MGO bunker heist.

Anand S/O Omprekas and Noruliman Bin Bakti were both surveyors employed by Intertek while Muhammad Khairul Asri Bin Mohamad Hanafiah worked for Inspectorate when the offences involving corruption were commited, according to court documents obtained by Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times.

The group were tasked to verify the quantity of cargo supplied to vessels in Singapore by suppliers such as Shell Eastern Petroleum Private Limited (Shell).

They would board the vessels to check on the quantity of the cargo loaded into the nominated and non-nominated tanks of the vessels, before and after the loading of the cargo to the vessels was completed.

After conducting the inspections, the surveyors must prepare ullage reports which stated accurately the amount of cargo loaded onto the vessels. These ullage reports would be submitted to their respective survey firms and Shell.

Anand S/O Omprekas – Six months imprisonment and penalty of SGD 20,000 (effective 26 May 2022)

Anand was found to have accepted gratification of a total SGD 10,000 from Juandi bin Pungot and Muzaffar Ali Khan bin Muhamad Akram over five occasions in 2014 while under the employment of Intertek.

Under Juandi and Muzaffar’s instructions, Anand did not accurately report the amount of cargo loaded onto vessels which Intertek was engaged to inspect.

In 2016, when Anand was a surveyor of CCIC Singapore Pte Ltd (CCIC), he continued to receive money from Muzaffar in exchange for falsifying the amount of cargo loaded onto vessels which CCIC was engaged to inspect while keeping quiet about the misappropriation of gasoil taking place at Shell Pulau Bukom.

As a result of Anand’s assistance in concealing the misappropriation of gasoil, two incidents of misappropriation of Shell gasoil (worth USD 668,152.16) went undetected by Shell in 2016.

Noruliman Bin Bakti – Eight months imprisonment and penalty of USD 25,000 (effective 4 July 2022)

Noruliman accepted total gratification of USD 15,000 from an Intertek colleague over three occasions between 2014 and 2015 for not accurately reporting the amount of cargo loaded onto vessels which Intertek was engaged to inspect.

In 2016, when Noruliman became a surveyor of CCIC, he continued his arrangement with Muzaffar to receive money from him to inaccurately report the amount of cargo loaded onto vessels which CCIC was engaged to inspect while keeping quiet about the misappropriation of gasoil taking place at Shell Pulau Bukom.

As a result of his assistance in concealing the activity, one incident of misappropriation of Shell gasoil (worth USD 239,958.60) went undetected by Shell in 2016.

Noruliman was also found to be working with Anand in two incidents of misappropriation of Shell gasoil (mentioned above).

Muhammad Khairul Asri Bin Mohamad Hanafiah – Four months imprisonment and penalty of USD 6,000 (effective 27 June 2022)

Khairul was found to have accepted total gratification of USD 6,000 from Juandi and Muzaffar over two occasions between 2016 and 2017 for inaccurately reporting the amount of cargo loaded onto vessels which Inspectorate was engaged to inspect.

As a result of Khairul’s assistance in concealing the misappropriation of gasoil, two incidents of misappropriation of Shell gasoil (worth USD 1,408,881.57) went undetected by Shell in 2016 and 2017.

Manifold Times in April reported a group of 12 surveyors being charged in Court for corruption offences in connection to the conspiracy to misappropriate oil from the Shell Pulau Bukom site. Altogether, the 12 individuals allegedly accepted bribes totalling at least USD 213,000 between 2014 to 2017.

Note: Court proceedings against other allegedly involved parties, including former employees of Shell Pulau Bukom, are ongoing. A list of earlier developments recorded by Manifold Times are as follows:

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 30 May, 2022

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

12 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

12 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

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

12 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026

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Manifold Times

Shell MGO bunker heist: Intertek, Inspectorate cargo surveyors plead guilty, jailed between four to eight months

Business

Shell MGO bunker heist: Intertek, Inspectorate cargo surveyors plead guilty, jailed between four to eight months

Legal

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