Singapore Police Coast Guard arrested eight men for their involvement in an illegal bunker transaction on Friday.

During a routine patrol, Police Coast Guard (PCG) officers boarded a Singapore-registered tugboat off Tuas, the Singapore Police Force said in a statement on Saturday.

They discovered several crew members were allegedly engaged in the illicit sale of MGO.

Investigations found that the crew of the Singapore-registered vessel had allegedly misappropriated about SGD 6,917 ($5,327) worth of MGO from their company and sold it to the foreign vessel.

Three crew members from the Singapore-registered vessel and five from the foreign vessel were arrested.

The suspects were charged in court on Saturday for criminal breach of trust and dishonestly receiving stolen property.

“The Police takes a serious view of illegal transaction of MGO in Singapore waters,” the Singapore Police Force said.

“The authorities will continue to conduct enforcement and security checks to prevent, deter and detect such illicit activities in Singapore waters.”