Shell’s Shady Partner-in-Crime

Posted by John Donovan: 20 Nov 24

What do you get when you mix rogue employees, stolen oil, and an oil giant so bloated with cash it barely noticed? Oh, just your everyday $120 million fuel heist at Shell Eastern Petroleum’s Pulau Bukom facility. Yes, Shell — the greedy, ruthless, planet-choking monolith — managed to “misplace” over 200,000 tonnes of gas oil between 2014 and 2018. But don’t worry! Justice is totally being served… to the little guys, anyway.

Shell Loses $120 Million of Fuel, Shrugs, and Moves On

You’d think an oil company might notice when 200,000 tonnes of gas oil mysteriously vanish from one of its facilities. But not Shell. While they were busy counting their billions in profits — and perhaps drafting a few more “climate pledges” no one asked for — a group of rogue employees siphoned off millions worth of refined crude oil. The stolen loot was then sold to Singapore’s Sentek Marine & Trading at bargain-bin prices. Shell’s role in all of this? Oh, just standing there, apparently.

Enter Sentek: Shell’s Shady Partner-in-Crime

Let’s talk about Sentek Marine & Trading, the scrappy little fuel-trading company that saw a 60% discount on stolen oil and thought, “What an opportunity!” Enter Wong Kuin Wah, a bunker clerk with the moral backbone of wet cardboard, who helped facilitate the illegal deals aboard the vessel Sentek 26. Wong’s reward? A cool $10 for every stolen tonne of gas oil he helped receive, shared with a fellow accomplice. His total haul? $274,000.

For context, Shell’s 2023 profits topped $40 billion. But sure, let’s throw the book at the low-level middlemen while Shell and its biggest investors — hey there, BlackRock! — enjoy their champagne.

Corporate Shenanigans: How the Heist Worked

This was no amateur operation. Sentek coordinated with Shell’s rogue employees, who conveniently aligned their duty rosters to ensure smooth loading of both official and stolen fuel. The misappropriated oil was then resold to unsuspecting customers (because who wouldn’t trust Shell?). Sentek even paid Wong and his crew to flee to Batam when the gig was up, providing hotel stays and monthly stipends while the heat cooled off. It was like a budget version of Ocean’s Eleven, except with way more bunkering clerks and way fewer morals.

The Fallout: Small Fries Get Fried

Now, Wong has been sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for facilitating the heist. Meanwhile, the cases against Sentek’s founder and other higher-ups are “still pending.” Shell? Oh, they’re doing just fine. The oil giant got to play the victim card, pinning the scandal on a “rogue group” of employees while carrying on with its profit-padding fossil fuel empire.

And where are Shell’s biggest shareholders, like BlackRock, in all of this? Casually cashing their dividends, of course. It’s hard to care about stolen gas oil when you’ve got a portfolio brimming with climate destruction profits.

WTF, Shell?

So let’s get this straight: Shell loses $120 million in oil, claims it was all the fault of a few bad apples, and walks away with barely a scratch. Meanwhile, the underlings who made chump change from the operation are sent to rot in jail. The company’s investors — who could easily demand accountability — are too busy fawning over Shell’s latest quarterly earnings to notice.

Another day, another corporate scandal swept under the oil-slicked rug. Clap it up for Shell, everyone. The bar was already on the floor, and they somehow managed to drill below it.

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