What Happened
On 22 February 2026, the Singapore Police Coast Guard arrested 11 crew members for their suspected involvement in an illegal Marine Gas Oil (MGO) transaction in waters off Selat Pauh, Singapore. The arrests and subsequent court charges were confirmed through official enforcement statements and court proceedings on 24 February 2026.
Four crew members from a Singapore-registered tugboat allegedly misappropriated MGO valued at approximately USD 5,000 without their company’s knowledge. The fuel was reportedly intended for sale to seven crew members of a foreign-registered tugboat operating in the same area. The local tug crew face charges of criminal breach of trust, while the foreign crew are charged with attempted dishonestly receiving stolen property.
Why It Matters for Maritime
Singapore is a high-volume bunkering environment with tight regulatory oversight. Cases of onboard fuel diversion immediately trigger compliance exposure, including internal investigations, charterparty implications, insurance scrutiny, and port enforcement risk.
For shipowners and technical managers, this incident reinforces the operational necessity of:
• Real-time bunker reconciliation
• Calibrated flow meter verification
• Controlled access to fuel systems
• Segregation of duties onboard
• Randomized inspections in anchorage zones
Fuel misappropriation is treated as a criminal matter in Singapore waters, with direct legal consequences for crew and potential commercial exposure for operators.
Operational Status: Active Enforcement Proceedings
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