‘Brazen’ US$150 million oil heist at Shell’s Singapore refinery much bigger than reported
- Court documents state that around 340,000 tonnes of gas oil were stolen from the oil company’s Pulau Bukom site
- Southeast Asia is a hotspot for illegal fuel trading, with its island-dotted waters providing cover for small-scale smuggling across borders
Around US$150 million worth of oil was stolen from Shell’s biggest global refinery over several years, Singapore court documents reviewed by Reuters show, far more than reported when police first revealed the heist earlier this year.
Charges filed in the first few months of investigations after police raids in January related to the theft of around US$10 million in oil. Further charges levied in May showed a total of US$40 million had been stolen.
A spokeswoman for Shell said the firm is “disappointed”, adding that it has been working with investigators and taken measures to avoid repeat incidents at the Pulau Bukom facility, which lies just south of Singapore’s main island.
“These include closer monitoring of products moving in and out of Bukom, tightening vessel management procedures, and stepping up ethics and compliance training,” the spokeswoman said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Thursday.
Southeast Asia is a hotspot for illegal fuel trading, with its island-dotted waters providing cover for small-scale smuggling of oil products across borders. But the regularity and audacity of the thefts at Shell’s refining facility – some of which took place during working hours – stand out.
