38,000 MT diesel shipment expected between July 11 and 15, but no petrol delivery on horizon

By Ifham Nizam

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is expected to receive 38,000 MT of diesel between 11 and 15 July, a top official said yesterday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake, however said, the CPC would not receive a petrol shipment until 22 July.

He also said that Sri Lanka currently had 11,000 MT of diesel, 5,000 MT of petrol, 30,000 MT of furnace oil, and 800 MT of jet fuel.

Ratnayake said the existing stocks of diesel would be made available only for essential services until the new shipment reached the country.

He also said that there would not be any issue with regard to the supply of gas, as Litro would procure 100,000 MT of gas for the next four months and those shipments would arrive on 6, 10, 16, 19, 21, and 31 of July.

Litro will be purchasing LP Gas with World Bank assistance and the purchasing agreement will be signed on Wednesday (29) or Thursday (30).

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was expected to visit United Arab Emirates (UAE) soon to procure fuel, Parliamentarian Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Aluthgamage said that discussions had been initiated with the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka to facilitate a telephone conversation between President Rajapaksa and Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach an agreement on the procurement of crude oil.

He also said that the government had formulated a comprehensive mechanism to ensure continuous fuel supply after July 10.

He added that President Rajapaksa was constantly in contact with the Indian Prime Minister, Petroleum Resources Minister and Foreign Minister to procure fuel from India.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said yesterday that the Sapugaskanda refinery was a national asset and his party would never allow it to be privatised.

“We will not allow the present government to destroy the refinery,” he told a group of CPC trade unionists recently.