Four ships due carrying petrol, diesel to end queues

By Ifham Nizam

Four ships carrying diesel and petrol would arrive here within the next 15 days, Ministry of Power and Energy officials said yesterday.

A top ministry official said that two ships carrying diesel were scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on Thursday (19) and 01 June while two ships carrying petrol were scheduled to be here today and on 29 June, he said.

It is also understood that five fuel tankers have been anchored in Sri Lankan waters as the country is unable to pay in US dollars and one of them has been stuck here for eight days.

Addressing the media, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera yesterday said that the Ministry would be able to provide petrol continuously to meet the local demand, adding that Octane 92 would be provided for essential services.

The Minister said with the arrival of the petrol shipment today (18), the petrol scarcity will be resolved.

“Currently, we have sufficient stocks of diesel at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation storage terminal and we are hoping to end queues at filling stations,” he added.