More than £250,000 of fuel, used to power generators supplying electricity to amphibious landing ship HMS Bulwark, was pilfered.
The Ministry of Defence has insisted the crime did ‘not disrupt’ military operations.
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Thieves reported made off with fuel from tankers at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth that was used to power electricity generators at the base.
The fuel, which belonged to defence contractor Babcock International, was siphoned off at some point last year – amid a fuel crisis in Britain which saw petrol stations pumped dry by panicking motorists.
The alarm was raised when civilian guards performed a spot check on a civilian tanker driver trying to leave the base, reported The Sun newspaper.
The stolen fuel was due to fill up generators powering HMS Bulwark, a 19,560-tonne assault ship.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘The Ministry of Defence is aware of an incident last year involving the alleged theft of fuel from a contractor within HMNB Devonport.
‘There was no disruption to defence operations and the Ministry of Defence has no further comment.’