Police reveala criminal schemeinvolving two oil tankers carrying nearly 10 million liters, whose voyage in the Gulf of Thailand was delayed beyond schedule. Authorities believe the delay was to wait for oil prices to rise, yielding an overnight profit of 48 million baht.
At 3:00 p.m. on 21 Apr 2026 GMT+7, at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters, Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitanilabutr, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police and Director of the Fuel Crime Suppression Center, held a press conference on the investigation of suspicious oil tankers in the Gulf of Thailand. This followed the nationwide fuel shortage during the crisis from 21 to 25 Mar 2026 GMT+7, after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
On 25-26 Apr, marine police officers inspected two suspicious oil tankers in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand. Preliminary checks showed both vessels loaded fuel from a refinery in Rayong Province, heading to fuel depots in Bangkok and Surat Thani Provinces. However, authorities noticed the ships' voyage was slower than the usual schedule, especially between 24-26 Mar 2026 GMT+7, with clear discrepancies in transport times.
"This coincides with the government’s announcement on 26 Mar 2026 GMT+7 to lift the oil price cap by 6 baht per liter. Operators may have exploited this by delaying docking to profit from the price difference. If proven guilty, the two oil tankers could have earned up to 48 million baht from nearly 10 million liters of fuel," Pol. Gen. Thatchai said.
Pol. Gen. Thatchai stated that authorities are urgently gathering all relevant evidence, including transport documents, ship tracking data, and surrounding testimonies, to determine whether these actions were within normal conditions or constituted illegal delay of controlled goods without reasonable cause. If found guilty, penalties include up to 7 years imprisonment, a fine up to 140,000 baht, or both.
He added that inspecting these two vessels is part of stricter measures to control oil transport routes, aimed at preventing and suppressing intentional delays for profit and illegal oil exports to neighboring countries. This is alongside ongoing inspections of refineries and fuel depots nationwide. Authorities affirmed that any violations will be strictly prosecuted against all involved parties in this scheme.