• China to send refined fuel shipment

Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath said yesterday (5) that nine fuel ships were scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka during April.

He made the remarks while addressing a public meeting in Matara. 

Herath said the Government has managed the energy crisis that emerged following the outbreak of the Middle East war, and expressed confidence that temporary control measures introduced during the peak of the shortage may soon be phased out.

He noted that Wednesday, which had been declared a public holiday to reduce fuel demand, could be restored as a regular working day in the near future. He also indicated that the QR system and the odd-even fuel distribution method could be removed once supply conditions improve further.

“We introduced several urgent measures at that time. There were queues during the first two weeks. QR codes were introduced, odd-even numbers were used, and Wednesday was declared a holiday. These were immediate steps to manage the situation,” he said.

Herath added that the delays were caused after several expected fuel shipments failed to arrive on schedule. “The ships that were expected said they could not come at once and supplies were delayed. That is why these measures were taken. But there is no need to worry now. Nine more ships are scheduled to arrive in April,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Government has agreed to provide Sri Lanka with a shipment of refined fuel, according to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).

The CPC stated that a special discussion is scheduled to be held today (06) to finalise the arrangements related to the shipment.

Officials said a final agreement is expected to be reached during the discussion regarding the type of fuel to be supplied and the expected arrival date of the vessel carrying the consignment.

Further details are expected to be announced following the conclusion of the discussions.