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UPDATE: BP Singapore bunker bribery case

BP Regional Compliance Director took to the stand on Thursday to define the firm’s Code of Conduct.
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8 years ago

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The trial of former BP Singapore Regional Marine Manager Clarence Chang continued at the State Courts of Singapore on Thursday.

Chang was facing 20 charges for allegedly accepting bribes totalling USD $3.95 million from Koh Seng Lee, the sole shareholder and executive director of Pacific Prime Trading (PPT) between the period of July 31, 2006 and July 26, 2010.

Theresa Zapiecki, BP’s Regional Compliance Director, Global Oil Eastern Hemisphere, Ethics & Compliance – Integrated Supply and Trading took to the stand to testify that Chang breached the oil major’s Code of Conduct and Global Trading Guidelines.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke-Yue told Zapiecki to elaborate on BP’s stand on the conduct of Chang who was suspected of setting up PPT with Koh and positioning the company to be the approved counterparty of BP Singapore.

“Under the BP code of conduct this is a conflict of interest and should be disclosed to the line manager, with legal and compliance getting involved for litigation,” she told the court.

“If Chang had gone to his line manager and disclosed the development prior to setting up the company [PPT], his line manager would have engaged compliance and legal as a minimum to define boundaries to mitigate conflict of interest; perhaps removing some job responsibilities around the counterparty or even not including the firm [PPT] as trading partner.”

Zapiecki further explained that if BP had found out about Chang’s alleged role in PPT after its creation, the oil major would have suspended him pending internal investigations.

An investigation report would have been presented at an internal disciplinary hearing; specially citing the Code of Conduct, a decision will have been made around misconduct with penalty being in the range from suspension or warning letter to termination.

According to Zapiecki, the Integrated Supply and Trading arm of BP which Chang was previously employed at is the only section in BP which is involved in physical trades; this exposes him to a different risk profile that requires him to follow additional compliance covering market manipulations, unfair trading activities, anti-competition rules, and collusion in trading behaviour and business communications. 

Chang voided compliance when he sent an internal message to Koh suggesting certain trading instructions.

The alleged instructions recommended PPT to trade 250,000 mt of bunkers per month, and “pass all terms with good pricing to BP first for spot trading at MOPS flat or 500 cSt plus two.”

Information gained from the instructions allowed BP to know how much PPT intends to purchase and could create a preferable trading environment to be used to inflate the price; it also discloses the margins and costs of BP, notes Zapiecki.

BP’s Code of Conduct was also violated when Chang recommended Koh to invest in his wife’s business, resulting in Koh investing SGD $500,000 for Mindchamps City Square between 2009 to 2010.

“If BP found out about this, he will have been put into suspension and investigations kicked off,” she says.

“A review of business communications, interviews to determine what Code of Conduct and Trading Guideline violations will have been made to check if he violated employment contract guidelines.

“If found, the penalty could range from warning letter to termination.”

The next trial at the State Courts of Singapore is scheduled for 24 July.

Related: BP Singapore bunker bribery case continues

Photo credit: Chensiyuan / CC BY-SA 4.0
Published: 12 July, 2018
 

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Winding up

Singapore: Annual general meetings scheduled for Xihe Holdings subsidiaries

Annual general meetings of companies/creditors will be held electronically from between 21 July to 5 for 11 subsidiaries of Xihe Holdings.

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7 hours ago

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July 7, 2026

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Several notices were published on the Government Gazette on Tuesday (26 May) regarding the annual general meetings of the companies and creditors to be held electronically from between 21 July to 5 August for 11 subsidiaries of Xihe Holdings. 

Annual general meetings for Xin Dun Shipping are to be held on 21 July at the following time:

  • For the company and creditors: 4pm

Annual general meetings for Xin Ya Shipping are to be held on 24 July at the following time:

  • For the company and creditors: 3pm

Annual general meetings for Xin Chun Shipping are to be held on 21 July at the following times:

  • For the company: 2pm
  • For the creditors: 3pm

Annual general meetings for Nan Sia Maritime are to be held on 24 July at the following time:

  • For the company and creditors: 2pm

Annual general meetings for Nan Hai Maritime are to be held on 23 July at the following time:

  • For the company and creditors: 3pm

Annual general meetings for Hua Xin Shipping are to be held on 4 August at the following time:

  • For the company and creditors: 3pm

Annual general meetings for Hua Kang Shipping are to be held on 23 July at the following time:

  • For the company and creditors: 2pm

Annual general meetings for Hua Gang Shipping are to be held on 4 August at the following time:

  • For the company and creditors: 2pm

Annual general meetings for Hua An Shipping are to be held on 22 July at the following time:

  • For the company and creditors: 4pm

Annual general meetings for Dong Fang Shipping are to be held on 22 July at the following times:

  • For the company: 2pm
  • For the creditors: 3pm

Annual general meeting for Nan Ya Maritime is to be held on 5 August at the following time:

  • For the company: 2pm

The agenda for all the meetings are:

  • To receive an update on the liquidation.
  • To receive an account of the Liquidators’ acts and dealings, and of the conduct of the winding up.

The following are the details of the liquidator: 

Ho May Kee
Liquidator
c/o 8 Marina View
#40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1
Singapore 018960

 

Photo credit: Benjamin Child
Published: 7 July, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Nan Shan Maritime liquidator issues notice of intended dividend

Creditors will need to produce proofs of debt to liquidator of Nan Shan Maritime by 14 July, according to Government Gazette notice.
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Published

6 days ago

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July 1, 2026

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A notice to declare intended dividend of Nan Shan Maritime Pte Ltd to its creditors has been posted on the Government Gazette on Tuesday (30 June).

The following are the details of the notice of intended dividend:

Name of Company : Nan Shan Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 201701967H
Address of Registered Office : 10 Anson Road, #10-10, International Plaza, Singapore 079903
Last Day for Receiving Proofs : 14 July 2026
Name of Liquidator : Tam Chee Chong
Address : c/o 10 Anson Road, #10-10, International Plaza, Singapore 079903

 

Photo credit: steve pb from Pixabay
Published: 1 July, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Kekal Shipping Pte Ltd to undergo voluntary wind up

A liquidator has been appointed at an extraordinary general meeting held on 18 June for the purpose of winding up the company’s affair, according to Government Gazette notice.
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1 week ago

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June 30, 2026

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A notice in the Government Gazette was published by the Director of Kekal Shipping Pte Ltd on Friday (26 June), regarding resolutions that were passed in relation to the winding up of the company.

The following resolutions were duly passed during an an Extraordinary General Meeting of the company, which was held at 1 Harbourfront Avenue, #14-07 Keppel Bay Tower, Singapore 098632 on 18 June at 10am:

SPECIAL RESOLUTION

RESOLVED that the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018.

ORDINARY RESOLUTION

RESOLVED that Ms Lee Yan Huei of Messrs Acclime Corporate Advisory Singapore Pte. Ltd. be appointed liquidator of the Company for the purpose of such winding up

 

Photo credit: Jo_Johnston from Pixabay
Published: 30 June, 2026

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