The three companies, SK Energy Co. Ltd., GS Caltex Corporation, and Hanjin Transportation Co. Ltd., will pay about $82 million in criminal fines. They’ll also pay $154 million in civil damages.

Delrahim said investigators believe the three companies and others rigged bids and fixed prices for more than a decade.

He said the Defense Department paid “substantially more” for fuel because of the scheme.

One of the defendants, Hanjin, said in a statement that it was responsible for just a fraction of the overall penalty. The company said it was paying a $1.39 million criminal fine along with a $6.18 million civil settlement and was cooperating with an ongoing investigation into fuel supply contracts.

“HJT is committed to complying with the antitrust and competition laws and values its decades-long relationship with the US military,” the statement said.