Siphoning of ship fuel is not a new trend, but the frequency of incidents has escalated. 15 incidents of siphoning of ship fuel or oil were reported on board tankers in Asia in 2014, of which 12 were successful.
India is planning to develop Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh as a second transhipment port, even as operations at the first, at Vallarpadam near Kochi, are yet to pick up pace.