19/04/2011 (Bernama) - Palm oil tankers will be fitted with the "Global Positioning System" by year-end, says Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

He said the move was necessary to check palm oil theft by siphoning the oil from tankers besides curbing oil palm pollution which could harm quality, palm oil-derived food safety and image of the palm oil industry.

"Palm oil theft by siphoning the oil from tankers are reported to happen when palm oil is being pumped from oil palm mills to refineries.

"Of late, there have been reported cases of palm oil being siphoned onto boats in Sabah waters. This has caused losses to transport companies and the industry," he told reporters after launching a palm oil safety campaign Monday.

Dompok said such illegal and unlawful acts should be stopped through stringent enforcement to avoid losses to the country and giving a bad image to Malaysia as a producer and exporter of quality palm oil.