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Kerosene queues to continue until refinery fully operational

Published

3 years ago

2022/06/4

By Shiran Ranasinghe

The kerosene queues will continue until the re-opened Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery commenced operations fully, a senior Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) official said yesterday.He added that during previous weeks the CPC had released a large amount of kerosene to refuel aircraft.The official said that the chemical composition between jet fuel and kerosene was negligible.By Thursday (02) night, CPC only had 386 MT of jet fuel, he said.The official added that the kerosene consumption in the country was about 600 MT per month, but the CPC was not in a position to supply that quantity.Sri Lanka last week received a crude oil shipment and the Refinery was expected to produce large amounts of kerosene from the crude oil.

“Until Sapugaskanda is fully operational, we will continue to have kerosene queues. There were kerosene queues in urban centres and in areas where there are a lot of fishermen and in the estate sector. We understand the suffering of the people. But there is nothing we can do,” he said.

The official added that CPC had no idea how it would import fuel after the Indian credit line was exhausted.He said that there were adequate quantities of fuel to last two weeks. Although the government had planned to buy fuel through spot tenders, a lot of companies were hesitant to supply fuel due to the country’s economic woes.By 02 June, the CPC had 18,825 metric tonnes of Diesel, 42 MT of Super Diesel, 33,498 MT of 92 Octane Petrol, 13,067 MT of 95 Octane Petrol, and 386 MT of jet fuel.

However, the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery was expected to be fully functional by next week after a technical hiccup last week and that was the only silver lining for the country, he said.The CPC official said that the government should focus on importing crude oil because the refinery could produce by-products like kerosene, furnace oil and jet fuel.

According to him the Refinery needs to be provided with a continuous supply of crude oil because shutting it down and restarting the refinery is an expensive and a time-consuming endeavour.In 2021, there were those who claimed that importing diesel and petrol directly was more feasible than operating a refinery, he said. “However, we have seen the result of this. Kerosene queues are a permanent fixture of daily life. Many industries face furnace oil shortages and there is a shortage of tar. Crude oil should be at the top of the government’s import priorities,” he said.

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INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo

Published

23 mins ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.

During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.

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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district

Published

5 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

Color: -Red Warning (Take action) Color: -Amber Advisory (Be prepared) Color: -Green Threat is over

The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.

The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025

The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:

The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:

Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

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“Census of Population and Housing 2024” Report Presented to the President

Published

6 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.

This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.

The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.

The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.