Former tanker captain of Prime Splendour, Nguyen Duc Quang, on Friday (3 January) pleaded guilty to six counts of abetting to dishonestly receiving stolen property involving more than USD 4.5 million (SGD 6 million), according to The Straits Times.
In the largest gas oil theft prosecution in Singapore’s court, the 48-year-old Vietnamese received misappropriated gas oil worth more than USD 7.3 million (SGD 9.8 million).
The offences were committed between March 2016 and up until his arrest on 7 January 2018.
Quang started working for Vietnam-based Prime Shipping Corporation in 2009, where he later became Captain of several vessels including Prime Senator, Prime South and at the time of the crime, Captain of Prime Splendour in March 2016, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Chew.
While onboard Prime Splendour which was stationed at Pulau Bukom, Quang received a call from a man identified as Nguyen Quoc Tuan, who had asked him to receive some misappropriated gas oil.
Quang then followed up with a call to former chairman of Prime Shipping Corporation, Tran Quang Tuan, who had instructed him to follow Nguyen Quoc Tuan’s instructions.
Under instruction, Quang paid a Shell employee USD 30,000 after receiving misappropriated gas oil on Prime Splendour; he later received USD 5,000 from another individual in Vietnam.
Following this, the stolen gas oil was sold off, where proceeds were split between Tran Quang Tuan, Nguyen Quoc Tuan, Nguyen Duc Quang and a fourth man – Nguyen Manh Cuong, former director of Petrolimex Singapore.
Quang said he had earned about USD 120,000 from various dealings involving misappropriated gas oil from Pulau Bukom between March 2016 and January 2018.
The trio, Tran Quang Tuan, Quoc Tuan and Nguyen Manh Cuong are still at large.
Quang will be sentenced on 14 January, in which six other similar charges linked to the remaining amount will be considered during sentencing.
In August 2017, a Shell representative filed a report saying the firm had lost about SGD 2.98 million worth of fuel in April that year.
To date, Quang is the third person to be sentenced at the Singapore court in relation to the Shell Pulau Bukom gas oil heist case. The first was the former Chief Officer of Prime South and the second is the former captain of Prime South.
Earlier coverage of the Shell Pulau Bukom oil heist case can be found below:
Related: Captain of “Prime South” jailed in Shell Pulau Bukom gas oil theft
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: Ex-Chief Officer of Prime South jailed
Related: Shell MGO bunker heist amount balloons to USD$142 million
Related: Shell MGO bunker heist update: Fresh charges issued at Singapore court
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: More charges issued at court
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: Nine charged offered bail
Related: Singapore bunker employee faces additional charges
Related: Intertek Singapore employee among Shell oil heist suspects
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist update: More individuals charged
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: Shipowner should have conducted a charterer check
Related: Fuel syndicate busted at Singapore Shell Bukom
Related: Shell Singapore oil heist: Breakdown of stolen oil cargoes
Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 6 January, 2020
Eric Hu confirms Koh’s claims of limited knowledge in English and explains how PPT managed to become BP Singapore’s largest counterparty.
Units fell from CSCL Spring during a cargo operation at the Pacific International Terminal in Tianjin.
‘Regulation 14.1.3 remains in force – however, where Port authorities are prioritising health and the freight movement, enforcement will be less of a priority,’ says law firm.
The vessel was discovered by the Tanjung Sedili Maritime Zone’s patrol team at 10.40 am on Saturday (5 September) about 10.3 nautical miles east of Tanjung Penawar.
The ship was discovered by the patrol team on an inlet about 45 nautical miles southwest of Sóc Trăng province at about 4.10 am on Wednesday (6 May).
Vessel was discovered 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Carey Island on its journey from Tanjung Pelepas, Johor to Port Klang on Friday, 29 January, said MMEA.
‘We are here to transfer the extremely valuable knowledge gained over the past six years to the maritime sector, such that our customers are comfortable in the use of such biofuels,’ states CEO Olivier Baiwir.
Newly appointed Anthony Mollet speaks to Manifold Times about his role, vision, value proposition and plans for the Marine Fuels Alliance to become a wide-reaching and engaging bunkering industry association.
SFP will be retrofitting VPT’s existing bunker vessel with its Full Electric Ready (FER) system and seeks to commission the vessel in the second quarter of 2022, CEO of SFP George Lee tells Manifold Times.
Equatorial Marine Fuel Management Services, Oldendorff Carriers, Lloyd’s Register and organisers took part in a Bunker Quality Claims Webinar moderated by Manifold Times on 10 November.
‘Though it did introduce temporary commercial and operational disruptions, we took a constructive view of the situation and chose to use this event as a learning opportunity,’ shares a Consort Bunkers spokesperson.
Gealubes Consulting & Trading, the authorised marine business distributor of PANOLIN EALs at Singapore port, shares a two-part education series on Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants on Manifold Times.
30 Nov 2021
