India steps in with emergency fuel shipment

Colombo, March 27 (Daily Mirror) - A shipment of 38,000 metric tonnes (MT) of petroleum products is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on March 28, following high-level discussions between Sri Lanka and India aimed at addressing recent fuel supply disruptions.

The consignment includes 20,000 MT of diesel and 18,000 MT of petrol, and comes in the wake of a telephone conversation held on March 24 between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

In a parallel development, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath also held a telephone discussion on March 23 to address the situation.

Lanka IOC had earlier secured fuel supplies for March from suppliers in the Middle East and Singapore. 

However, those suppliers later invoked force majeure, citing supply disruptions and vessel unavailability linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

In response to the shortfall, Sri Lanka requested emergency fuel supplies from India’s Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). The incoming shipment forms part of these rescue arrangements.