---

Brightoil Petroleum (Holdings) Ltd. has appointed a new head of fuel oil trading in Singapore, Reuters reports.

Fuel oil trader Ong Eng Hian - a former trader with Fal Oil Asia Pte. Ltd. and Koch Refining International Pte. Ltd. - is said to be joining Brightoil in April. The appointment comes three months after the departure of experienced trader Edmund Lau.

Ong left Fal Oil Asia in November 2011 at the same time as former colleague Wong Kai Yee. Wong joined Unipec Singapore and Ong joined Koch Refining, both as fuel oil traders. A few months later, in March 2012, general manager of oil trading, GS Teh vacated his position at Fal Oil Asia amid the company's decision to place its Asia trading entity into dormancy.

Hong Kong-listed Brightoil was the third-largest supplier by volume in Singapore last year after leaping to second place in 2011 from 34th in 2010.

Towards the end of last year, Brightoil appointed Stephen Qi Jun as International Trading and Bunkering Chief Operating Officer, Li Gang as Head of Global Marine Bunkering and Gary Wu as Chief Risk Officer and Brightoil Petroleum (Singapore) Ltd Risk Officer.

Brightoil said the November appointments had been made to "better develop the trading and bunkering business as well as to strengthen risk management".