Asia/Pacific News
Five Naval Officers Detained In Taiwan For Fuel Siphoning Scam
Five naval officers are being investigated in Taiwan for allegedly siphoning fuel off ships for sale on the black market, local media reports.
Authorities at the Port of Kaohsiung reportedly raided five warships at the Tsoying Naval Base earlier this week.
According to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office, one of the detained petty officers was recently involved in illegally selling 9,600 litres of diesel worth approximately NT$2 million ($64,000).
The detained officers also allegedly worked with contractors who secured bids to clean fuel tanks of sediments and chemical precipitates to siphon the fuel.
Though 21 suspects were rounded up in total, only five were detained, with the rest released on bails of between NT$50,000 ($1,600) and NT$100,000 ($3,200).
The remaining five officers were all in charge of fuel supply on their respective ships.
An investigation into the scam reportedly started last year after prosecutors received a tip.
Illegal fuel transactions is also a problem elsewhere in Asia, and in September last year, it was reported that in Singapore there had already been a tenfold increase by volume in reported illegal fuel oil trades.
