Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Theft of Fuel at Pulau Bukom by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Home Affairs

Question:

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the recent theft of large quantities of fuel from Pulau Bukom (a) whether the petrochemical companies' security and governance processes require tightening, especially in sensitive areas such as Pulau Bukom and Jurong Island; and (b) how is the Ministry working with the petrochemical companies to ensure that hazardous and flammable materials do not fall into the wrong hands.

Answer:

1. Police's investigation is ongoing and it will be inappropriate for me to comment on it.

2. Generally, petrochemical companies which store large amounts of petroleum and flammable materials (P&FMs) must obtain a licence from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

3. The licence is renewed annually, and applicants must put in place security measures to prevent unauthorised access to, and unauthorised activities involving, the P&FMs. Licences that involve volatile P&FMs are deemed to be of higher risk, and are subjected to site inspections to assess the adequacy of their physical security measures. These include companies on Pulau Bukom and Jurong Island.

4. Licensees are also required to immediately notify the SCDF of any loss or theft of P&FMs from their premises, and put in place measures to prevent recurrence.

5. Beyond physical security measures, companies storing P&FMs have a duty to establish robust internal governance and oversight to safeguard their P&FMs.

6. Police and SCDF will continue to engage these companies through regular platforms, like the Jurong Island Safety and Security Watch Group, to share best practices, trends, and lessons from past incidents.