SINGAPORE – The authorities are investigating an alleged illegal sale of diesel at a heavy vehicle carpark near Choa Chu Kang.

The alleged transaction was caught on video, which was shared on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on April 15 and subsequently circulated on social media.

In the video, a Malaysian truck can be seen transferring diesel to two containers housed in a lorry. The incident allegedly took place at Gali Batu heavy vehicle carpark, near Choa Chu Kang.

It is unclear if the incident took place on the same day that the video was shared, with the time stamp on the dashcam footage showing Nov 1, 2023, as the date of the recording.

When contacted by The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it is aware of the video clip and is investigating the incident as a fire safety violation.

Citing the Fire Safety Act, an SCDF spokesperson said it is an offence to dispense petroleum and flammable materials at unlicensed premises. Those convicted can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

Meanwhile, a Singapore Customs spokesperson told ST that it “closely monitors and enforces against any illegal diversion of duty-exempted diesel”.

Although diesel in the fuel tank of a vehicle entering Singapore is exempted from excise duty and goods and services tax (GST), this is under the condition that the diesel is used only for the vehicle’s movement.

The diesel should not be removed from the fuel tank for other purposes.

The spokesperson stressed that the transfer, purchase, sale, storage, possession or any dealings with duty-exempted diesel from the fuel tanks of vehicles are offences under both the Customs Act and GST Act.

Those found to have flouted the rules can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, jailed up to two years, or both.

In March 2023, ST reported that the illegal sale of diesel at heavy vehicle parking spaces was taking place in areas such as Tampines and Pioneer.

The fuel sold through such operators can be as much as 40 per cent cheaper than what major fuel suppliers charge, with the current price for diesel at about $2.59 per litre, according to pump price tracker Fuel Kaki.

Although cheaper, the source of the fuel is unknown. While some may come from major suppliers like Caltex and ExxonMobil, they may also come from other unknown sources and be of unknown quality.