Fake Shell bitumen found in Vietnam

According to the bureau, the bitumen used in transport infrastructure projects used to be mostly imported from Singapore. The quality is consistent and the projects had good quality for a long time.

But recently, according to Duong Viet Doan, deputy director of the bureau, the bitumen has come from many other countries. The quality is either not consistent or low. When these types of bitumen reach Vietnam, they may be mixed and then labeled as made in Singapore and supplied to transport infrastructure projects.

“This is one of the reasons transport infrastructure projects recently show signs of disrepair very quickly,” he said.

The bureau asked the investors of transport infrastructure projects to tighten control on the origin of the bitumen used in their projects.

The warning was issued after Tin Thinh Trading-Production-Service Co., Ltd., the distributor of Shell Bitumen 60/70 made in Singapore, in March reported to the Ministry of Transport that it discovered bitumen mislabeled as made in Singapore.

As discovered by the company, in January and February of this year, ITS - Asphalt & Material, registered address at 15/47 Phan Huy Ich Street in commune 15, Tan Binh District of Ho Chi Minh City filed the customs forms No. 100725945460 and 100752006830 at the Port of Ho Chi Minh City Tan Cang – Cat Lai Terminal to import two lots of Shell Bitumen 60/70 made in Singapore with total weight of 190.190 tonnes, equal to 1,235 barrels, from Malaysian company Obetech Pacific Sdn.

According to Tin Thinh, the bitumen was not produced by the Shell Eastern Petroleum factory in Singapore.

“The Malaysian seller and the Vietnamese importer stuck the Shell Singapore labels on the bitumen barrels without the permission of the owner of the brand,” said a representative of Tin Thinh.

Shell Bitumen 60/70 is a penetration grade bitumen used in road and airport constructions
and other similar applications.