Singapore Arrests 18 Crew Members Over Illegal Marine Gas Oil Transaction Off Pandan

Eighteen men have been arrested in Singapore for their suspected involvement in an illegal transaction involving marine gas oil (MGO) in waters off Pandan at the West Coast.

The arrests were carried out by officers from the Police Coast Guard at about 12.45am on 11 February 2026.

The suspects, aged between 21 and 45, were crew members from two foreign-registered tugboats and one Singapore-registered tugboat.

They are scheduled to be charged in court on 12 February 2026 with criminal breach of trust by employees under Section 408(1) of the Penal Code 1871.

According to information released by the police and reported by Channel NewsAsia, preliminary investigations indicated that the crew members had allegedly misappropriated marine gas oil valued at about S$13,670 without their company’s knowledge.

The authorities stated that the fuel was allegedly intended to be sold illegally for personal financial gain.

If convicted, the offence carries a prison term of up to 15 years as well as a fine.

The police said they take a serious view of illegal marine gas oil transactions in Singapore waters. They added that enforcement and security checks would continue in order to prevent, deter and detect such unlawful activities.

Reference: Singapore Police Force

Source: Maritime Shipping News