Last diesel shipment under Indian LoC to be unloaded today
Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said that the shipment of 40,000 metric tons of diesel which arrived in the country today (16) under the Indian credit line was being tested and if the reports are cleared unloading will commence this evening.
Addressing a media briefing at the Petroleum Ministry today, the Minister said this process is a routine process upon arrival of any fuel shipment and takes about six hours.
Minister Wijesekara noted that the existing stocks will be sufficient until the 21st of June, adding that with the shipment of diesel, management of the stocks will be much easier. He added that petrol and diesel would be distributed in a systematic manner to make best use of the existing stocks.
Meanwhile, Minister Wijesekera said a statement by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe pertaining to fuel shipments has been shared out of context on social media. “What the Prime Minister said was that the process of importing fuel to the country has become an arduous task. Under the Indian credit line of $ 500 million that we received initially and the additional $200 million, we imported fuel from March until yesterday (16) where we received the final shipment of diesel. The Indian credit line offered us great relief in importing petrol, diesel and on one occasion aviation fuel.”