Eight shipping companies have been summoned to give information this week as witnesses in a probe into missing oil shipments at sea, according to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
Pol Maj Woranan Srilam, director of the Consumer Protection Case Division and DSI spokesman, said investigators have called in representatives from the companies involved in transporting oil to a Surat Thani depot to provide statements and supporting documents.
He said the companies are being questioned as witnesses, with investigators focusing on their business operations, shipping documentation, roles in the transport process and details of the shipments where irregularities were found.
Authorities have found discrepancies in 20 shipments of oil transported by sea from refineries in eastern Thailand to Surat Thani. An estimated 57 to 60 million litres of oil were reported missing during transit, while the volume recorded at the destination appeared higher than at the origin.
Preliminary findings show the companies have cooperated with authorities while investigators gather evidence to determine whether the case should be formally accepted as a special one, Pol Maj Woranan said.
The DSI has already accepted a separate case involving suspected oil stockpiling at a Surat Thani depot as a special case.
Pol Maj Woranan said he was scheduled to meet provincial police in Surat Thani on to discuss a prior complaint filed by the provincial commerce office against PC Siam Petroleum Co in preparation to take over the case file from local police.
Authorities have found alleged irregularities in fuel distribution, noting the depot sold 2.1 million litres of oil in February but only 400,000 litres in March, despite a nationwide fuel shortage during that period.
PC Siam Petroleum Co has publicly denied allegations of fuel hoarding, saying the company strictly complied with all legal and regulatory requirements and consistently submitted complete transaction records.