17 June 2022 02:11 pm
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its longest fuel queues in its history today due to limited issuance of diesel and petrol stocks.
Samagi United Trade Union Force (SUTUF) convener and media spokesman Ananda Palitha told the Daily Mirror that 85 percent of the filling stations in the country had run out of petrol.
He claimed that the Lanka IOC was also not distributing fuel due to a possible fuel price increase on June 24.
“Only 50MT of petrol was issued today. The diesel stocks issued is to a total of 160 orders,” Palitha said.
The last fuel vessel M T JAG PAHEL reached Colombo Port yesterday under the Indian credit line with a stock of 36,000MT but the Power and Energy Minister claimed that the shipment was a 40, 000MT of diesel.
The ship docked at the Dolphin Jetty in Colombo Port yesterday. Only 16MT of diesel was unloaded to the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Ltd at Kolonnawa and the remaining 20,000 MT was unloaded to the Muthurajawela Terminal.
Due to duel purpose unloading facility of the ship, the CPC had to pay USD 50,000 as additional charges other than the demerge fee.
The Minister yesterday claimed that the Ministry had paid USD42 million for 38,000MT (300,000 oil barrels). Palitha claimed that the shipment was to arrive in the country within three days.
However Palitha said the shipment was to arrive only by June 22 or 23. Until then the country would experience a huge petrol shortage. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)