Shipment of 38,000 tons of petroleum arrives from India

Monday, 30 March 2026 05:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Following a telephone conversation between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Anura Kumara Disanayaka on 24 March, a shipment of 38,000 metric tons (MT) of petroleum, of which 20,000 MT is diesel and 18, 000 MT is petrol, arrived in Colombo on Saturday.

On 23 March, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath also held a telephone conversation.

Lanka IOC had earlier secured fuel supplies for March from the Middle East and Singapore. However, suppliers with whom the contracts were placed expressed their inability to deliver the product and invoked force majeure in view of supply disruptions and vessel unavailability due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Due to the above disruptions, rescue supplies were requested from India from Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., (IOCL). The current shipment of 38,000 MT is part of these supplies.

The Government of India, through Lanka IOC, has extended support to Sri Lanka for maintaining continuity of fuel supply.