Amidst Opposition accusations that a load of inferior quality products that had been procured by Lanka IOC was unloaded here recently, LIOC claimed that joint sampling and testing were conducted with the government of Sri Lanka to avoid any confusion regarding the quality specification in terms of appearance.

The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) trade union alliance has alleged that inferior quality products were available in the market.LIOC claimed that the joint sampling proved that there was no issue with the consignment.

LIOC issued the following statement: “LIOC procures the highest quality of fuel from reputed suppliers across the globe through an international competitive bidding process. One such consignment, consisting of Gasoil and Gasoline from an international fuel supplier, arrived at the Colombo Port recently. After chemical testing of the entire Cargo of Gasoline and Gasoil, all the chemical properties which determine the quality of the fuel, were found to be meeting specifications. However, in the case of Gasoil, part of the cargo was showing inconsistent results in case of ‘appearance’. As such, initially only the Gasoline parcel and a part of the Gasoil cargo where appearance was not in question was accepted and discharged by LIOC. As for the balanced Gasoil cargo where test results of samples collected at various points yielded inconsistent results, LIOC requested GoSL for joint sampling and testing to avoid any confusion regarding the quality specification in terms of appearance.

After getting consent from the authorities, the product was re-sampled. It passed all necessary tests related to statutory quality specifications following which the product was accepted by LIOC.

LIOC, with over two decades of presence in Sri Lanka, has contributed to the economic growth and advancement of the energy sector of Sri Lanka.

LIOC has stood with the people of Sri Lanka during tough times, especially during the crisis situation last year. LIOC will continue to offer services to the people of Sri Lanka by ensuring assured and timely delivery of quality products through our sheds across the country and help Sri Lanka consolidate its economic recovery and stability.”