38,000 MT Diesel Shipment Expected Between July 11 And 15
Editor
June 30, 2022
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation will receive 38,000 MT of diesel between July 11and 15, a top official said yesterday.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake however said, CPC will not be able to source a petrol shipment until 22nd July.
He told journalists that even if the CPC has funds, it is unable to access a fuel shipment.
He also said that Sri Lanka currently has 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 will only be available for essential services, until the new shipment reaches the country.
He also said that there won’t be any issue with regard to the supply of gas, as Litro will procure 100,000 MT of gas for the next four months and those shipments will arrive on the 6th, 10th, 16th, 19th, 21st, and 31st of July.
Litro will be purchasing LP Gas with the Assistance of the World Bank and the purchasing agreement will be signed on Wednesday (29) or Thursday (30).
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to visit United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the near future to procure fuel, Parliamentarian Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, he 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 for 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 is a national asset and we will do our utmost to save it,” he told CPC trade unionists who met him yesterday.
“We will not allow the present government to destroy the refinery,” he said.
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