SINGAPORE: Six Indonesians and two Filipinos have been detained by police for allegedly stealing oil from a vessel off the Tuas Petroleum Holding Anchorage.
The incident is said to have taken place in the early hours on Friday.
Four of the eight
men detained are workers onboard the vessel - Shengtek - where oil was
allegedly siphoned to a smaller tugboat.
The managing director of
Sentek Marine and Trading, Mr Pai Keng Pheng, who owns the vessel said
he's suspected all along that thieves were stealing the oil.
It's believed not enough evidence could be gathered in the past.
The company said they had reported similar incidents before and recently increased its security with more patrols.
As a result the alleged thieves were caught red-handed.
Mr
Pai said: "For the past three years, they've stolen too much oil from
us. In just two years, they stole about 5,000 to 6,000 tonnes. When we
realised our oil was disappearing, we notified the authorities. But
eventually we counted on our own effort to deal with this."
The company estimates it has lost some S$6 million over the last two years.
Police are investigating the case.
- CNA/ck