PUBLISHED ONFebruary 22, 2026 11:25 AMBYSean LerEleven men, aged between 32 and 58, were arrested on Sunday (Feb 22) morning for their alleged involvement in the illegal transaction of marine gas oil in Singapore waters.
The police said in a news release on Sunday afternoon that Police Coast Guard officers arrested four crew members from a Singapore-registered tugboat and seven crew members from a foreign-registered tugboat in the waters off Selat Puah — a stretch of waterway to the south of Jurong Island, between Pulau Bukom and Pulau Sudong.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the four crew members had allegedly misappropriated marine gas oil valued at about $5,000 without their company's knowledge.
According to the police, the oil was allegedly intended to be sold illegally for personal financial gain.
The 11 men will be charged in court on Monday.
If found guilty of criminal breach of trust by employees, the four crew members of the Singapore-registered tugboat may be jailed for up to 15 years and fined.
The seven crew members of the foreign-registered tugboat will be charged with the offence of allegedly receiving stolen property — an offence which carries an imprisonment term of up to five years, a fine, or both.
The police also warned that they take a serious view of illegal transactions of marine gas oil in Singapore waters, adding that the authorities will continue to conduct enforcement and security checks to prevent, deter and detect such illicit activities.
On Feb 11, 18 men were arrested for the same offence in the waters off Pandan at West Coast. They were charged the next day.
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