Singapore: Cargo Officer who threw CPU of “Sea Tanker II” in sea jailed six months
- Published
by Admin
A former cargo officer who was involved with two others in falsifying documents and hindering investigations related to the Singapore-flagged MT Sea Tanker II was sentenced to six months’ jail at the State Courts of the Republic of Singapore on Monday (5 June), according to several media reports.
Jeremy Koh Renfeng, 40, pleaded guilty to two charges of intentionally obstructing the course of justice – providing false information in the ship’s official log book, and dismantling and disposing of a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) into the sea.
His co-conspirators Assistant Marine Superintendent Ong Chou Hong Aaron and Cargo Officer Tan Chun Kiat Benn were respectively sentenced to nine and six months in jail in February.
Documents previously obtained by bunkering publication Manifold Times showed the MT Sea Tanker II being chartered to Golden Ocean Shipping (HK) Limited, a Hong Kong company, for a period of six months beginning from 1 September 2018.
Between 26 October 2018 and 8 December 2018, Singapore authorities received information alleging MT Sea Tanker II being engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer with DPRK-flagged vessels.
On 5 November 2018, the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) requested for documents from Sea Hub Tankers, including MT Sea Tanker II’s official log book, oil record book part II, charter party agreement(s) and bill of lading(s).
Between 5 November 2018 to 6 December 2018, Aaron and Benny gave instructions to Jeremy (who was on board MT Sea Tanker II at the material time) that the records in MT Sea Tanker II’s official logbook and various records would need to be re-written.
The trio communicated by WhatsApp to construct and present a false narrative of the movement of the vessel MT Sea Tanker II which could then be provided to the authorities – with a view to conceal its true movements and cargo operations.
Related: Singapore: Imprisonment of Sea Hub Energy Director ‘unrelated to company integrity’, says majority shareholder
Related: Singapore: Sea Hub Energy exits MPA bunker craft operator list
Related: OFAC adds Singapore-registered “Sea Tanker II” to sanctions list
Related: Three men charged for obstructing investigations into suspected STS gasoil transfers to North Korea
Photo credit: Marine Traffic / John Regan
Published: 9 June, 2023
