Legal

Magnets on MFMs: Trial ends with ten-month imprisonment term for Bunker Clerk of “Fragrance”

Mok’s offence affected public confidence in the use of the MFM system onboard Singapore bunker tankers, and caused an embarrassment to the MPA, said Deputy Public Prosecutors.

Published

5 years ago

September 11, 2020

Admin

A ten-day trial at the State Courts of Singapore ended on Thursday (10 September) with Mok Chek Meng, the bunker clerk of bunker tanker Fragrance, being sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment.

This was the first trial under Section 7(1)(b) read with Section 10(1) of the Computer Misuse Act, Chapter 50A (CMA), involving a bunker clerk who directed his crew to use an industrial strength magnet to tamper with the mass flow meter (MFM) on board a bunker tanker in order to illegally tamper with the amount of marine fuel recorded as being delivered to a receiving vessel, a spokesperson from the Attorney-General’s Chambers told Manifold Times.

Mok’s offence was classified under the lower end of the medium culpability range, and sever harm category under a sentencing framework referenced from a related case.

He conspired with his subordinate, Nurharyadi, by instructing him to use an industrial strength magnet to modify the readings of the MFM System on board Singapore bunker tanker Fragrance while it was delivering marine fuel to the receiving vessel Southern Glory.

According to court documents, Mok was a qualified cargo officer employed with Ocean Xpress Services; he was also the key person giving instructions on the use of the magnet on board Fragrance.

Records showed Mok’s employer in Ocean Xpress Services earlier instructing all of his bunker clerks, including Mok, that they could use a magnet to increase the readings recorded on the MFM.

But after the police caught them using the magnet onboard the “Southernpec”, the employer instructed his bunker clerks, including Mok, not to use the magnets again. However, Mok was caught with the magnet on 13 June 2019.

Deputy Public Prosecutors noted Mok’s offence affected public confidence in the use of the MFM system onboard Singapore bunker tankers, and caused an embarrassment to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

They recommended the Court to impose a sufficiently deterrent sentence to send a strong signal to the industry that it would not tolerate any attempt, whether magnets or otherwise, to undermine the integrity of the MFM system.

The present offence is notoriously difficult to detect and could become rampant if not firmly dealt with, added the prosecution.

They also believed the offences likely involved other third parties who would purchase the surplus marine fuel from Mok.

“Deterrence is relevant in such crimes because the group dynamics suggest that premeditation, sophistication and planning was involved,” said the prosecution in their sentencing submissions.

“The fact that a syndicate is involved in tampering bunker barges in the open seas also makes the offence difficult to detect because there is no one who can scrutinise their conduct for compliance.”

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 11 September, 2020

Business

Notice of intended dividend issued for defunct bunkering firm Coastal Oil Singapore

Company’s former Chief Finance Officer received a nine-year jail sentence in 2021 after pleading guilty to 15 charges for conspiring with others to defraud eight banks into approving USD 320 million in loans.

Published

6 days ago

April 17, 2025

Admin

A notice was published in the Government Gazette on Wednesday (16 April), regarding the second and final intended dividend to creditors of defunct bunkering firm Coastal Oil Singapore Pte Ltd.

The following are details of the notice of intended dividend of the company:

Name of Company : Coastal Oil Singapore Pte. Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 200413975N
Address of Registered Office : 1 Raffles Quay, #27-10, South Tower, Singapore 048583
Last Day of Receiving Proofs : 30 April 2025
Name of Liquidator : Yit Chee Wah
Address : c/o FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.,1 Raffles Quay,#27-10, South Tower, Singapore 048583

In 2021, the former Chief Finance Officer of Coastal Oil Singapore received a nine-year jail sentence at the State Courts of Singapore.

Ong Ah Huat earlier pleaded guilty to 15 charges; the charges include three counts of engaging in a scheme to defraud and nine counts of forgery for conspiring with accomplices to defraud eight banks into approving USD 320 million in loans.

The banks involved were: China Merchants Bank (Singapore), Bank of Communications (Hong Kong), BNP Paribas (Hong Kong), Cooperative Rabobank (Hong Kong), DBS Bank (Hong Kong), HSBC (Hong Kong), OCBC (Hong Kong), and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong).

In 2019, Manifold Times reported Hong Kong-listed COSCO SHIPPING International (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd stating its indirect wholly-owned bunkering subsidiary Sinfeng suspecting fraud to be involved in the liquidation of Coastal Oil Singapore during December 2018.

It was believed Coastal Oil Singapore owed approximately US $357 million to 79 firms. Out of the total USD 357 million, banks were the hardest hit taking up about US $354 million, or 99.1%, of total credit owed.

A complete coverage of the events leading to the current development has been arranged by Singapore bunker publication Manifold Times (in descending date order) below:

Photo credit: Benjamin-child
Published: 17 April, 2025

Business

Singapore: Director of Sinco Shipping declares inability to continue business

Sharma Mohit Krishnabhagwan, director of Sinco Shipping, lodged a statutory declaration stating the company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business; liquidators have been appointed as well.

Published

7 days ago

April 16, 2025

Admin

A director of Sinco Shipping Pte Ltd filed a statutory declaration (SD) stating that the company cannot continue its business due to its liabilities, according to a 15 April (Tuesday) notice on the Government Gazette.

In the SD, the director, Sharma Mohit Krishnabhagwan, said meetings of the company and of its creditors have been summoned for 28 April.

According to SGP Business website, a business platform for business and individuals, the company’s main business was in shipping including chartering of ships and boats with crew (freight) with renting.

In another notice, it was stated that Mr Lau Chin Huat and Mr Yeo Boon Keong, Licensed Insolvency Practitioners, both of Technic Inter-Asia Pte Ltd, c/o 50 Havelock Road #02-767 Singapore 160050, have been appointed as joint and several provisional liquidators of the company on 11 April.

In a third notice on the Government Gazette, the liquidators said a meeting of creditors of the company will be held by way of video conference via Zoom (deemed venue : 50 Havelock Road, #02-767 Singapore 160050) on 28 April at 11:30am, for the following purposes:

To lay a full statement of the company’s affairs together with a list of creditors and the estimated amounts of their claims;
To nominate Liquidator(s) or confirm the nomination of Liquidator(s) by member(s);
To consider and if thought fit, appoint a Committee of Inspection consisting of not more than 5 persons, whether creditors or not, for the purpose of winding up the company; and
Any other business.

To attend, creditors have to nominate and vote thereat their Proof of Debt and a proxy form must be lodged with the liquidators no later than 4pm on 25 April 2025.

A copy of the Proof of Debt form, proxy form, a statement showing the names of all creditors and the amount of their claims . This notice has been dispatched to all known creditors of the company.

Any other person claiming to be a creditor of the company as at this date may write to the liquidators to request for copies.

Creditors would need to register their attendance by email to [email protected] no later than 4pm on 25 April 2025 to receive instructions on how to join the video conference via Zoom.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer on Unsplash
Published: 16 April, 2025

Winding up

Singapore: Creditors’ meeting scheduled for Vasi Shipping Pte Ltd

Meeting will be held via audio visual communication at 3pm to appoint a liquidator and receive a statement of the company’s affairs together with a list of creditors, according to Government Gazette notice.

Published

1 week ago

April 14, 2025

Admin

A creditors’ meeting for Vasi Shipping Pte Ltd has been scheduled to take place on 28 April, according to a Government Gazette notice by the company’s director on Thursday (10 April).

The meetings will be held via audio visual communication at 3pm.

The agenda of the meetings will be as follows:

receiving a statement of the company’s affairs together with a list of creditors and the estimated amounts of their claims;
appointing Liquidator(s);
appointing a committee of inspection of not more than 5 members, if thought fit;
any other business.

According to the company’s website, Vasi Shipping provides end-to-end shipping solutions and provides ocean freight management services, specialising in the movement of fertilisers, minerals and chemicals within Asia and beyond.

Note:

A creditor entitled to attend the above meeting may appoint a proxy to attend in his stead. A proxy need not be a creditor of the Company. The instruments appointing a proxy must be lodged in the following manner:
by email to the email address at ([email protected]); or
by post to 11 Collyer Quay, #07-02 The Arcade, Singapore 049317; not later than 3.00 p.m. two days before the meeting or adjourned meeting at which it is to be used.
Arrangements relating to attendance at the meeting via electronic means (including arrangements by which the meeting can be electronically accessed via live audio-visual webcast), will be sent by email upon receipt and verification of the proxy form. The email will contain meeting ID and password details, as well as the link to access the live audio-visual webcast.
Pursuant to Section 445 of the IRDA, should creditors(s) with at least 10% in value of the total creditors’ claims require a place for the meeting be specified, please notify the Liquidators’ office by 14 April 2025.

Photo credit: steve pb from Pixabay
Published: 14 April, 2025