Suspicious aviation fuel: It didn’t conform with specifications, says CPC Chairman

14 December 2017 10:10 pm

While responding to the trade union claims of IOC’s alleged importation of a stock of 14,000 metric tonnes of substandard aviation fuel into the country, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Chairman Dammika Ranatunga today said the stock received did not conform with the specification at the first quality test.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror Mr. Ranatunga said the suspicious “Jet A1” Aviation fuel which failed to meet the standards in the first quality check was an extra stock and could have been contaminated during the transportation.

He said the CPC never imports substandard fuel into the country; “However it is possible to contaminate these stocks during the transportation. It can only be confirmed through the second detailed quality test,” he added.

“Under no circumstances CPC will import substandard fuel into the country. If the arrived stocks not conformed to CPC specification we will return those,” he said.  

However, he said that the CPC has a stock of 16,000 metric tonnes of aviation fuel and therefore there was no possibility of any shortage.

Mr. Ranatunga, said the CPC will import a replacement stock if the suspicious ‘Jet A1’ fuel fails in the second quality test.

Also rejecting the social media reports of an alleged petrol shortage Mr. Ranatunga said there is no basis for such rumors and confirmed that the CPC has sufficient stocks. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)