Business

Dan-Bunkering trial: Denmark also bombed Syria, confirms defence counsel

Several Danish expert witnesses from the military were questioned in the case against Dan-Bunkering on day 10 of the trial at the Court in Odense.

Published

3 years ago

November 25, 2021

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Disclaimer: An online translation service was used in the production of the current editorial piece, which Manifold Times had reproduction permission from Danish Radio (DR).

Several Danish expert witnesses from the military were questioned in the case against Dan-Bunkering, Bunker Holding and top director Keld Demant during Thursday (18 November) on day 10 of the Dan-Bunkering trial, reports DR.

According to the indictment, Dan-Bunkering illegally supplied 172,000 tons of jet fuel, which was used by Russian planes for bombing raids in Syria from 2015 to 2017; allegedly breaking the EU sanctions.

However, Denmark also bombed Syria – this was argued by Dan-Bunkering's defence counsel during interrogation of one of the experts.

Denmark also bombed in Syria

Russian fighter jets were busy in Syria during the period when Dan-Bunkering was accused of having supplied jet fuel for use by the Russian military in Syria.

The understanding appeared from witness statements from two officers who appeared in uniform on Thursday at the Court in Odense.

“The planes flew several sorties (missions, ed.) a day, which is not so usual,” explained Major Karsten Marrup, the head of the Center for Air Operations at the Defense Academy. He noted Russia put fighter jets into the Syrian war around October 1, 2015. In the following 16 months, they flew about 20,000 missions. The figure has been stated by the Russian Chief of Defence, and it is a number that most people think is very sensible, he said.

Another expert, Major Mikkel Storm Jensen, explained Russian airstrikes in the fall of 2016 played a crucial role in the fall of the Syrian rebel capital, Aleppo. And for the fact that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is still in power today.

Mikkel Storm Jensen, a military analyst at the Defense Academy, also explained the Russian fighter jets have predominantly used old-fashioned and very imprecise bombs in Syria.

The Russian fabrication is that it is the Islamic group IS that they are defeating. But the weight of Russia's attack is predominantly against other opponents of President Assad, said Mikkel Storm Jensen from the witness stand.

However, Denmark has also bombed Syria, stated Dan-Bunkering's defence lawyer, Jacob Skude Rasmussen. Skude Rasmussen projected a website from Operation Inherent Resolve [www.inherentresolve.mil] onto the large screens of the courtroom.

Denmark has twice, most recently in 2016, participated in the operation with F-16 aircraft that have bombed IS forces in Syria and Iraq. And the Danish flag is included as one of many flags on the operation's website.

Jacob Skude Rasmussen: So can we agree that Denmark has bombed Syria?
Henrik Victor Nørgaard, Chief Adviser in the Armed Forces for the purchase of fuel: Yes.
Jacob Skude Rasmussen: Who provided the jet fuel for the mission?
Henrik Victor Nørgaard: The Americans did
Jacob Skude Rasmussen: But were there European suppliers?
Henrik Victor Nørgaard: I do not know

How the defenders will use the information about the Danish bombing raids in Syria was not further explained in court on Thursday.

Former Deputy Director of Bunker Holding remembered very little about the jet fuel deal

A former deputy director of Bunker Holding, Søren Høll, also took over the witness stand on Thursday.

He was involved in several internal mail correspondences about jet fuel during the period when Dan-Bunkering, according to the indictment, supplied jet fuel for use in Syria.

“We get more inquiries and orders for jet fuel. But we are aware that our insurance does not cover [this activity],” Søren Høll wrote to a group of office managers in November 2015. The period was shortly after Dan-Bunkering, according to the indictment, had started delivering jet fuel to a Russian customer who bought on behalf of Russia's military.

Prosecutor Anders Rechendorf: Why did you write about it right at that time?
Søren Høll: I do not remember

In the email, Søren Høll wrote negotiations were underway with the group's insurance company to cover deals in jet fuel. But Søren Høll could not remember in court on Thursday what had come out of it.

Anders Rechendorf: Did you consider which customers wanted jet fuel?
Søren Høll: I do not remember

A year later, Søren Høll got involved in another mail correspondence about jet fuel.

Bunker Holding's credit manager wrote to a number of credit employees that the group saw more and more “exotic” business ideas, and that in the future such operations should pass Keld Demant or the group's CFO.

And Deputy Director Søren Høll asked in an email back:

“What about jet fuel and gas oil? It probably belongs to what is to pass KRD or JKH [Keld Demant or the CFO].”

The response from the credit manager was that it did.

The mail exchange was from February 2017. At that time, Dan-Bunkering was still in the process of delivering jet fuel to the Russian customer. And Søren Høll wrote that he would send the message to those in charge of the dealers at Dan-Bunking's office in Russia.

But in court on Thursday, Søren Høll did not remember the email exchange, he told the defence lawyer.

Søren Høll : You show it to me, and I can see that I have written it. But I do not remember it.

He also did not remember what happened next after the email.

Central Russian witnesses are unlikely to show up

When the court meets again on Tuesday (23 November), it is planned two Russian employees of Dan-Bunkering will appear and testify.

The two Russians run Dan-Bunkering's office in Russia, and they are the ones who have been responsible for concluding the deals with jet fuel for the Russian military.

The behind-the-scenes police have via a lawyer written to the two men, who are father and son, and asked them to testify in the Court in Odense.

Since the start of the trial, it was unsure if the two have received the letter at all, but via a lawyer they have reported back in the week ended 21 November.

The lawyer does not report a direct cancellation for the two men, but explains in his letter about the problems they will encounter to give an explanation in the Danish case.

However, presiding judge Jens Lind said at the conclusion of Thursday's court hearing that he will not cancel the Russian interpreter for Tuesday (23 November).

Jens Lind: It will be a pity if the two Russian witnesses come and there is no one to interpret.

Note: Earlier Manifold Times coverage regarding Bunker Holding/Dan-Bunkering’s alleged breaches of EU sanctions can be found below:

Photo credit: Jatin singh from Unsplash
Source: DR
Published: 25 November, 2021

Business

Shell MGO bunker heist: Bunker clerk pleads guilty to helping Sentek acquire misappropriated fuel

Wong Wai Meng, who received more than USD 286,000 from Sentek Marine & Trading for his assistance, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of intentionally helping the firm acquire the misappropriated marine gas.

Published

8 hours ago

December 2, 2024

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A bunker clerk, Wong Wai Meng, who received more than USD 286,000 (SGD 384,681) from Singapore-based Sentek Marine & Trading (Sentek) for his assistance, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of intentionally helping the company acquire misappropriated marine gas oil, The Straits Times reported on Friday (29 November).

The 58-year-old Singaporean was employed at the Sentek when he assisted in acquiring more than 28,000 metric tonnes (mt) of the misappropriated fuel worth USD 13.58 million (SGD 18.26 million).

Wong committed the offences over 46 occasions between August 2014 and December 2017.

Wong is among the three bunker clerks previously employed by Sentek, who were charged for offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (CDSA) and the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

Another bunker clerk among the three charged, Wong Kuin Wah, 61, was sentenced to seven years and six months’ jail on 18 November for his role in misappropriating more than 27,000 tonnes of gas oil worth around USD 12.8 million (SGD 17.2 million).

The third individual who was charged, Boo Pu Wen, reportedly passed away in July 2023 and had his charges abated following his death, meaning Boo’s court proceedings over his 19 charges at the time came to an end.

Former Shell employees, who were key members of a group who dishonestly misappropriated fuel from Shell Pulau Bukom, were sentenced to jail in court earlier.

Earlier coverage of developments by Manifold Times regarding the Shell MGO bunker heist can be found below:

Photo credit: Katrin Bolovtsova
Published: 2 December, 2024

Biofuel

Singapore: GCMD introduces new technique for FAME bio bunker fuel fingerprinting

Fingerprinting identifies feedstock origins of FAME-based biofuels used in shipping industry; can be used as a potential tool to detect fraud in marine fuel supply chains and ensure biofuel authenticity.

Published

8 hours ago

December 2, 2024

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Singapore: GCMD introduces new technique for FAME bio bunker fuel fingerprinting

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Monday (2 December) released its latest report, presenting a new technique that creates a fingerprint for Fatty Acid Methyl Esters(FAME) bio bunker fuels.

This fingerprint identifies the feedstock origins of the FAME-based biofuels used in the shipping industry.

GCMD said FAME fingerprinting is needed as the shipping sector is increasingly using biofuels, such as FAME, to reduce its GHG emissions. With that, concerns have arisen regarding the legitimacy of biofuels and whether they are truly sustainable.

Industry bodies are seeing a rising number of cases mislabelling biofuels purported to be made from recycled oils and fats, while suspicions persist that they might be produced from cheaper and less sustainable virgin oils.

“To address these concerns, FAME fingerprinting can be used as a potential tool to detect fraud in marine fuel supply chains and ensure biofuel authenticity. By providing a physical validation method that complements existing certification schemes, FAME fingerprinting can help justify the green premium with genuine environmental benefits and safeguard the integrity of marine fuels supply chain,” GCMD said.

FAME fingerprinting is based on the principle that the fatty acid profile of FAME is unique to its feedstock and can be preserved during feedstock transesterification to produce FAME. The "fingerprint" can then be compared against a database of known fatty acid profiles to identify the feedstock origin.

GCMD worked with VPS who modified existing fuel testing methods to carry out sample analyses using a gas chromatograph with flame-ionisation detection, an instrument commonly found in fuel test laboratories.

The analysis takes about an hour, comparable to the turnaround time for current marine fuel quality testing in the supply chain.

“We have tested this method on a variety of FAME samples from different suppliers, including virgin oils, used cooking oils, palm oil mill effluent, beef tallow and food waste and were able to identify the feedstock origins for each sample,” GCMD added.

Manifold Times previously reported Captain Rahul Choudhuri, President, Strategic Partnerships at marine fuels testing company VPS, forecasting the use of finger printing technology today will likely establish a blueprint of how future alternative bunker fuels’ feedstocks are authenticated.

Captain Choudhuri said this when he gave an update of VPS’ biofuels finger printing trials with GCMD.

Note: The full report, titled ‘Rapid forensic analysis of FAME-based biofuels: Potential use of its fingerprint as a fraud detection tool’, can be downloaded here.

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 2 December, 2024

Methanol

PLAGEN to produce and supply green methanol bunker fuel with Latvia plant

Korean firm’s MoU with AE Risinājumi will see construction of Latvia’s first commercial-scale green methanol production plant, which will supply green methanol to ships in EU’s maritime fleet.

Published

8 hours ago

December 2, 2024

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PLAGEN to produce and supply green methanol bunker fuel with Latvia plant

South Korean clean energy firm PLAGEN on Friday (29 November) signed an MOU with Latvian company, AE Risinājumi, for the production of green methanol in Latvia at the “2024 Latvia-Korea Business Forum” hosted by the President of Latvia.

The agreement will result in the construction of Latvia's first commercial-scale green methanol production plant, which will supply green methanol to ships in the EU's maritime fleet, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transportation.

PLAGEN's MoU aims to produce 20,000 metric tonnes (mt) of green methanol per year and will begin feasibility studies in the first half of 2025, and full-scale production will begin in 2028.

With 53% of Latvia's land area covered by forests, timber production and wood processing make a significant contribution to Latvia’s economic production, which generates a large amount of forest residues and wood wastes. In addition, Latvia also has an abundance and low price of renewable electricity from wind power.

Latvia is one of the most competitive countries in the European Union, as it can produce clean methanol at a competitive price by using abundant wood waste as a raw material and renewable electricity from cheap wind power.

The use of abundant forest residues and wood wastes as a feedstock and cheap renewable electricity from wind power makes it possible to produce green methanol with a competitive price, making Latvia is one of the most competitive countries in the EU.

In the European Union, the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) will come into effect in 2025, requiring shipping companies to purchase carbon credits for their greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, the EU is implementing FuelEU Maritime, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2% below the 2020 average by 2025 and 80% by 2050. This is expected to result in an energy transition to green methanol.

In July 2023, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a revised strategy that calls for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships to net-zero by or around 2050, and plans to introduce full-scale regulations from 2027, and shipping companies have begun ordering methanol-powered ships fueled by green methanol, a carbon-neutral fuel.

“We expect to start producing green methanol in Latvia in 2028, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from EU maritime transport vessels and contribute significantly to the revitalization of the Latvian economy and national energy security,” said John Kyung, CEO of PLAGEN.

In November 2024, PLAGEN completed the purchase of an industrial complex and received a government permit for the construction of the country's first green methanol plant in Dongjeom Industrial Complex in Taebaek City, Gangwon-do.

The project, which will produce 10,000 mt per year, is scheduled to begin construction in the first half of 2025 and begin production in the second half of 2027.

Photo credit: PLAGEN
Published: 2 December, 2024