Singapore Police have arrested eight tugboat crew members on suspicion of the illegal sale of marine gas oil (MGO) belonging to their employer, the Singapore Police Force said in a press release issued on Friday, 14 August 2026.

The eight men, aged between 25 and 54, were arrested after Police Coast Guard officers checked a Singapore-registered tugboat off Tuas, in western Singapore, at about 1.05 AM on Friday, according to the police.

Police said the crew had allegedly taken MGO worth about SGD 10,570 without their company's knowledge and sold it for personal gain.

"The eight crew members will be charged in court on 14 August 2026 with the offence of theft by servant of property in possession of master under Section 381 of the Penal Code 1871," the police said.

"If convicted, they shall be punished with an imprisonment term that may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to a fine," the police added.

Section 381 of the Penal Code 1871, Singapore's principal criminal statute, covers theft committed by a clerk or servant of property in the possession of their master. MGO is a distillate marine fuel commonly used to power tugboats, harbour craft and other smaller vessels. Singapore has long ranked as the world's largest bunkering port by volume, selling tens of millions of tonnes of marine fuel each year, and bunkering operations in its waters are regulated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), which licenses bunker suppliers and bunker craft operators and sets standards for fuel deliveries. Fuel of this kind is a significant operating cost for vessel owners, and the case underlines how pilferage by crew is treated as a criminal matter in the port city-state rather than an internal disciplinary issue.

Police said they will continue to carry out checks in Singapore waters to prevent and detect such activities. The Police Coast Guard is the marine policing unit of the Singapore Police Force and patrols the country's territorial waters.

Source: Ship & Bunker