Singapore Cracks Down: CEO Denied Visa Amid Sanctions Violations

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower denied a work visa to Philip Adkins, CEO of Red Box Energy Services, in June 2024 after the company was sanctioned by the US Treasury for violating Russian sanctions. According to the Financial Times, Adkins maintained that his company adhered to international sanctions and noted that efforts were underway with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to delist two vessels involved in a sanctioned LNG project in Russia.

In a previous action, Singapore-based Hydronav Services Private Limited was accessed fines of more than SGD 1.1 million (USD 865,000) for exporting strategic goods without permits, resulting in penalties for the company and two employees. The trouble for Hydronav began when Singapore Customs discovered the company exported a multibeam echosounder system to Myanmar without the required permits, violating the Strategic Goods (Control) Act. Investigations uncovered fraudulent activities, including falsified documents to deceive Norwegian authorities and a false police report to mislead about the destination of the goods. This led to fines and the threat of imprisonment for the involved employees, emphasizing the serious consequences of violating export control laws.