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Bunker Holding Group extends 20-week paid parental leave globally across offices in 34 countries

New parental leave policy builds on the recent efforts of Bunker Holding’s sustainability reporting, says the world’s largest bunker supplier.
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Bunker Holding Group has as of August 2022 extended a 20-week paid parental leave to all employees worldwide across offices in 34 countries, boosting the time parents can spend with their new-born child, said the firm on Thursday (13 October).

“The bunker industry being a rather conservative industry, parental leave has historically been viewed as maternity leave. At Bunker Holding we have set out to change this, and seeing as 72 percent of Bunker Holding Groups workforce is male, this new policy is going to benefit a lot of new fathers, who previously may not have felt they could prioritize family at the cost of office time,” says Pernille Græsdal Beck, Executive HR Business Partner, Group HR of Bunker Holding, and adds:

“However, not only the men will benefit from this new policy, as they can spend more time with their baby. Our goal is this will promote equal opportunities for female workers as well, as increasingly their male counterparts in the office too will enjoy an extended parental leave away from their work life.”

Bunker Holding Group employs 1,600 people across the globe and for the first time, everyone will be offered 20 weeks of paid parental leave to engage with their family.

New parental leave policy sparks joy

Among Bunker Holding’s employees, the revised parental leave policy is already benefitting men, who are taking their leave, as they can now look forward to the fact that they will no longer experience a pay cut during their parental leave while enjoying an extended time off with their family.

General Manager of Bunker Holding’s Singapore office, Michael Ekdal Jacobsen, who will soon be going on parental leave, sees the initiative as very positive and is proud to be employed by a company that takes responsibility for its employees.

“I think it is such a strong move that Bunker Holding is now offering 20 weeks of paid parental leave for both mother and father. Especially for people sitting outside Denmark this is very much out of the ordinary. For me personally, I will definitely jump on the opportunity to increase my leave,” Michael Ekdal Jacobsen says and adds:

“This first time around your baby is precious and being able to enjoy that, not only with the approval and encouragement of my workplace but also with their financial support, is paramount.”

As well as receiving full pay during the parental leave, pooled bonuses of the offices are continuously awarded to the employee, minimising the cost and increasing the incentive to take one’s leave in full.

Adding to the ESG agenda

The new parental leave policy builds on the recent efforts of Bunker Holding’s sustainability reporting, increasing the Group’s commitment to not only the environment but also the diversity, equality, and inclusion agenda.

“Adding the parental leave policy to Bunker Holding Group is a natural extension of our commitment to the diversity, equality, and inclusion agenda outlined in our newly publicised Sustainability Report,” says Pernille Græsdal Beck, who is also weighing in on the ESG Council of Bunker Holding Group.

“For the past several years, Bunker Holding Group has gone through a modernisation process, wanting to stay the best workplace in the industry, helping us attract the qualified labour force of tomorrow. Our new parental condition is one of the steps we have taken in evolving as a wholehearted and inclusive company.”

 

Photo credit: Bunker Holding Group
Published: 14 October, 2022

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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.

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July 21, 2026

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

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.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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July 21, 2026

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

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.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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July 21, 2026

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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

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