Business

Argus Media: Singapore energy, petchem firms face Malaysia lockdown

Immediate accommodation for thousands of Malaysians, who make daily border crossings to Singapore to work in petrochemical companies needs to be coordinated.

Published

6 years ago

March 18, 2020

Admin

Bohan Loh of global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus Media on Tuesday (17 March) published an update on manpower and logistics concerns faced by petrochemical and energy companies in Singapore as Malaysia goes on COVID-19 lockdown:

Singapore refining and petrochemical companies are scrambling to secure accommodation for their Malaysia-based workers after Malaysia banned its citizens from leaving the country over 18-31 March in a bid to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Refining and petrochemical companies are reliant on workers that make daily border crossings between Malaysia and Singapore. Around 300,000 people cross the Singapore-Malaysia border daily but there are no estimates how many of these work in the refining and petrochemical industry.

ExxonMobil has close to 600,000 b/d of refining capacity in Singapore, Shell 500,000 b/d at its Pulau Bukom complex and Singapore Refinery jointly owned by Chevron and Chinese state-controlled oil firm PetroChina’s Singapore Petroleum has 290,000 b/d.

ExxonMobil has asked its affected staff to return home to Malaysia to gather supplies and necessities for two weeks and to return to Singapore before midnight (16:00 GMT) today when the travel restrictions begin. The company will be arranging for accommodation requirements for its affected workers until the end of the month.

Fellow petrochemical producer PCS also has similar arrangements for its affected workers.

Singapore is home to ExxonMobil’s largest integrated manufacturing complex. The Singapore Refinery site on the mainland has more than 1,200 employees, while the Singapore Chemical Plant on Jurong island has a workforce in excess of 1,300.

The impact on Mitsui Chemicals operations in Jurong island are expected to be limited as most of its workers are based in Singapore. Mitsui Chemicals operates a variety of downstream petrochemical plants including polymers, phenol, acetone and elastomers.

Shell Chemicals at Bukom also has Malaysia-based contractors working in the refinery and petrochemical complex but the impact on operations are expected to be limited as there is accommodation on the island.

The Singapore government also said that it would be working with companies with immediate requirements to find accommodation for its workers following the travel restrictions announced by Malaysia.

Photo credit and source: Argus Media
Published: 18 March, 2020

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

16 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

17 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

17 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