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Singapore: Probe exposes Hong Kong entities issuing ‘false invoices’ to Vermont over purported bunker sales

Dynamic Asset Investments Limited and Goldsland Holdings Co Ltd helped Vermont UM Bunkering maintain a “Cash Float” of about SGD 100,000 to facilitate “buyback” bunker transactions at Singapore port.

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Hong Kong-incorporated entities were allegedly issuing former bunker supplier Vermont UM Bunkering Pte Ltd false invoices for purported marine fuel oil sales, according to a court document obtained by Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times.

The report noted Vermont needing to maintain a “Cash Float” of about SGD 100,000 to facilitate “buyback” bunker transactions; the monies would be withdrawn from Vermont’s bank account and recorded as a loan to company Director Poh Fu Teck (Mr Poh).

Dynamic Asset Investments Limited

Mr Poh would use Dynamic Asset Investments Limited, a Hong Kong-registered company controlled by himself, to send Vermont invoices for payment of marine fuel oil from Dynamic Asset.

“The false invoices were created to disguise the excess marine fuel oil in Vermont’s inventory as being legitimately purchased from Dynamic Asset, when they were in fact illegally obtained through the ‘buyback’ transactions,” the report explained.

Once Vermont paid Dynamic Asset, the latter would then transfer the sum to Mr Poh’s personal bank account and he would use these monies to repay the purported personal loan from Vermont – when in reality, there was no sale of fuel oil from Dynamic Asset to Vermont.

Goldsland Holdings Co Ltd

From 2014 onwards, the false invoices allegedly showing Vermont purchasing the illegally bought back fuel oil through “buyback” bunker transactions were also issued from Goldsland Holdings Co Ltd, a Hong Kong-incorporated holding company engaged in the businesses of bunker supply, biodiesel, overseas mining, bulk trade and property leasing.

“Goldsland Holdings would issue Vermont false invoices for the purported sale of marine fuel oil. In turn, Dynamic Asset would issue a corresponding false invoice to Goldsland Holdings for the sale of the same or similar quantity of marine fuel oil,” stated the report.

“Vermont would pay Goldsland Holdings pursuant to the false Goldsland Holdings invoices, and Goldsland Holdings would then pay Dynamic Asset pursuant to the corresponding false Dynamic Asset invoices.

“The monies from the fictitious sales would eventually be transferred from Dynamic Asset to Poh. Poh would then use the sum to repay the purported personal loan from Vermont.”

Charges faced by Mr Poh

Mr Poh currently faces a total of 10 charges at the State Courts of Singapore, according to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC); the charges are as follows:

  • Nine charges are under Section 47(1)(a) and punishable under s 47(6) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (CDSA) for concealing benefits of criminal conduct, namely the additional fuel obtained from the illegal buyback transactions;
  • One charge is under Section 420 read with s 109 of the Penal Code and read with s 124(4) of the Criminal Procedure Code for conspiring with other co-accused persons to cheat buyers of marine fuel oil on not less than 149 occasions.

 

Background

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on 28 April 2016 revoked the bunker supplier and bunker craft operator licences of Vermont due to discrepancies and wrongful declarations in the records kept on board their bunker tankers.

Mr Poh and Koh Seng Lee (Mr Koh), another Director of Vermont, were later charged by Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in November 2017 for cheating and criminal breach of trust offences under the Penal Code.

The duo are currently defending legal claims set out by Goldsland Holdings and Hong Kong Sin Hua Development Co., Ltd.

Vermont was incorporated in Singapore in October 2009, and is owned by Hong Kong based Vermont Groups Limited (VGL) (51%), Mr Poh (24.5%) and Mr Koh (24.5%); VGL is in turn 70% owned by Sin Hua, which is 99.99% owned by Goldsland.

Both Sin Hua and Goldsland are under the management of Guangdong Guangxin Holdings Group Ltd (Guangdong Guangxin), part of the Guangxin group of companies (Guangxin Group) which comprised of state-owned enterprises operated by the Guangdong provincial government.

Related: Singapore: Investigations uncover USD 3.6 million worth of bunker short deliveries by Vermont UM Bunkering
RelatedDirectors of Vermont granted leave to pursue legal suits against Goldsland and Sin Hua
RelatedVermont UM Bunkering makes winding up application at Singapore High Court
RelatedVermont UM Bunkering Directors plan to defend claims from Hong Kong firms
RelatedGoldsland Holdings moves in to secure US $22 million from Vermont UM Bunkering
RelatedBank seeks $38 million from arrested Singapore bunker tankers
RelatedSingapore: Four bunker tankers arrested
RelatedSingapore-based Vermont UM Bunkering directors, staff charged for fraud

 

Photo credit: Simon Zhu on Unsplash
Published: 26 July, 2022

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Winding up

Singapore: Final general meetings scheduled for Dromond Shipping, related firms

A member is entitled to attend the meetings and should notify the liquidators’ team office via email no later than 48 hours prior to the meeting.

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The final general meetings of Dromond Shipping Pte Ltd  and related companies have been scheduled to take place on 19 October, according to the company’s liquidator on a notice posted on Friday (18 September) on the Government Gazette.

The other companies are Tidewater Emergency Response Services Pte Ltd, Tidewater Production Solutions Pte Ltd and Tidewater Salvage Pte Ltd. 

The final general meetings of the members of the companies will be held via electronic means on 19 October 2026 at 2.00 pm, 2.30 pm, 3.00 pm and 3.30 pm (Singapore time), respectively.

The meetings are being held for the purpose of having accounts laid before the members showing the manner in which the winding up of the respective companies has been conducted and how the property of the respective companies has been disposed of and to hear any explanation that may be given by the liquidators. 

The details of the liquidator is as follows:

Tan Kim Han
Joint and Several Liquidators
137 Amoy Street, #02-03, Far East Square
Singapore 049965

Note: A member is entitled to attend the above meeting and should notify the Liquidators’ team office via email to [email protected] or [email protected] no later than 48 hours prior to the meeting.

 

Photo credit: steve pb from Pixabay
Published: 21 September, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Liquidator of Da Xin Tankers, Nan Chiau Maritime issues notices of dividend

Da Xin Tankers’s second interim dividend and Nan Chiau Maritime’s third interim dividend are payable from 17 September, according to Government Gazette notices.

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Notices of dividend for Da Xin Tankers Pte Ltd and Nan Chiau Maritime Pte Ltd, which are currently in creditors’ voluntary liquidation, were published on the Government Gazette on Thursday (17 September). 

The following are the details of the notice for Da Xin Tankers:

Name of Company : Da Xin Tankers (Pte) Ltd (In Creditor’s Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 198400895W
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Amount per centum (US$) : 5.00 cents to a dollar of admitted unsecured claims
First and Final or otherwise : Second Interim Dividend
When payable : 17 September 2026
Where payable : Entitlements will be made either by way of telegraphic transfer or by cheque, to be collected from the Company’s registered address as above

The following are the details of the notice for Nan Chiau Maritime:

Name of Company : Nan Chiau Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No.: 200814296Z
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Amount per centum (US$) : 7.00 cents to a dollar of admitted unsecured claims
First and Final or otherwise : Third Interim Dividend
When payable : 17 September 2026
Where payable : Entitlements will be made either by way of telegraphic transfer or by cheque, to be collected from the Company’s registered address as above.

 

Photo credit: Benjamin Child
Published: 18 September, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Marine fuel testing firm CCIC Singapore faces winding up application

Application for the winding up of CCIC Singapore Pte Ltd was filed by Hong Kong-registered CCIC International Holding Limited on 7 September, according to Government Gazette notice.

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An application for the winding up of marine fuel testing and surveying firm CCIC Singapore Pte Ltd (CCIC Singapore) was filed by Hong Kong-registered CCIC International Holding Limited on 7 September, according to a Monday (14 September) notice on the Government Gazette.

It noted the winding up application is directed to be heard before the Judge sitting in the General Division of the High Court at 10am on 2 October.

Manifold Times previously reported US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned nearly two dozen firms operating in multiple jurisdictions, including CCIC Singapore.

OFAC alleged that Sepehr Energy “consistently relied” on CCIC Singapore to accomplish not only the necessary pre-delivery cargo inspections required before oil is transferred to China, but also to conceal the oil’s Iranian origins.

In late 2024, CCIC Singapore provided inspection services during a ship-to-ship transfer of approximately two million barrels of Iranian oil from the sanctioned vessel and Sepehr Energy-affiliated SIRI (IMO 9281683), formerly known as the ANTHEA. 

In June 2025, CNA reported that the company laid off hundreds of workers after it was hit with the sanctions. Later, the CCIC Singapore told CNA that the layoffs were due to the impact of the sanctions which was greater than expected, and that it has ceased operations in Singapore. 

According to the Government Gazette notice, any creditor or contributory of the company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the winding up application may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose.

A copy of the winding up application will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the company requiring the copy of the winding up application by the solicitors of the applicant’s, Oon & Bazul LLC, on payment of the regulated charge for the same.

The Applicant’s address is 29/F, East Tower, Shun Tak Centre, 168-200 Connaught, Rd Central, Hong Kong, China.

The Applicant’s solicitors are TKQP Law LLP of 1 Wallich Street, #07-02 Guoco Tower, Singapore 078881.

Note: Any person who intends to appear at the hearing of the winding up application must send notice of such intention to the abovenamed TKQP Law LLP, the Claimant’s solicitors, within the time and in the manner set out in rule 70 of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution (Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring) Rules 2020. The notice must be in Form CIR-15 and state the name and address of the person, or, if a firm, the name and address of the firm, and must be signed by the person, firm, or his or their solicitor (if any) and must be served and, if sent by post, must be posted in such time as in the ordinary course of post to reach the address of the Claimant’s abovenamed solicitors, at least 3 clear working days before 2 October 2026 (the day appointed for the hearing of the application).

Related: CCIC Singapore amongst nearly 24 firms named in latest US OFAC sanctions

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 15 September, 2026

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