The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has stated that the Sri Lankan and Russian Governments are still holding operational discussions regarding the timeline for receiving fuel from Russia.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, CPC Managing Director Dr. Mayura Neththikumarage said that diplomatic talks on the feasibility of supplying fuel to Sri Lanka have concluded, and that the two Governments are now engaged in discussions on when the shipments will be received. When queried as to whether Sri Lanka expects to receive the fuel before a specific deadline, he replied that no such timeline exists. 

Responding to a question about whether the country has a sufficient storage capacity to receive the fuel without issue, given the CPC’s earlier communication about limited storage facilities, he said that the delivery period would be arranged based on the available facilities and storage capacity.

In late March, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin visited Sri Lanka when the country was grappling with fears of a possible fuel shortage. During meetings with CPC officials and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, he had agreed to provide refined fuel to Sri Lanka. However, a month after those discussions, the fuel has not yet arrived and there is no assurance of the amount of fuel that will be provided and therefore, various parties have raised questions about when it will be delivered.