News
Kerosene queues to continue until refinery fully operational
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.
The situation report issued by the Disaster Management Centre at 1800hrs today (5th December) confirms that 607 persons have died due to the adverse weather conditions while the number of missing persons has reduced to 214.
The number of persons affected topped the 2 million mark (2,082,195).
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) formally took delivery of the EX- United States Coast Guard Cutter, USCGC DECISIVE, provided by the United States to SLN, at a ceremony held at the United
States Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore on 02 Dec 25. The event was also attended by the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda.
The ship formally joined the SLN fleet on 02 December under the pennant number P 628 and the main mast of the ship will fly the National Flag effective from that date.
Aiming to strengthen and develop partnerships to overcome common challenges in the maritime domain, the U.S. Coast Guard has previously provided 03 ships to SLN and they are currently patrolling island waters under the names of ‘Samudura’ (P 621), ‘Gajabahu’(P 626), and ‘Vijayabahu’ (P 627).
As an extension of partnership ties that bring value to each other’s services, Ex-USCGC DECISIVE was transferred as the fourth ship to be handed to SLN.
Ex-USCGC DECISIVE, a ‘B-Type Reliance Class 210-foot Cutter’, measures 64m in length, and having endurance of 6000 NM at cruising speed. Further, she has been designed for a
crew of 100 and is equipped with weapons and machinery.
The ship which was used by the U.S. Coast Guard has rendered exceptional service during her tenure by curbing illegal activities, including smuggling of narcotics in U.S. waters.
Sri Lanka inherits an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that is seven times larger than the landmass. In such a backdrop, the Navy is determined to deploy this vessel in wide-ranging
operations that include the conservation of marine resources in the region and the search and rescue of naval and fishing communities in distress. Thereby, the Navy will be able to utilize
this vessel efficiently in the future to achieve the national aspiration, while ensuring safe and secure seas for all economic affairs.
The formal handing over – taking over ceremony was also distinguished by the presence of the Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer and Director of Domain & Integration Services U.S. Coast
Guard, James L. Knight, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for South and Southeast Asia, Dr. Andrew Byers, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Commanding Officer designate of P 628, Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya as well as a group of officials from the Embassy of Sri Lanka in United States and the State Department
of the United State
The situation report issued by the Disaster Management Center at 0600hrs today [5th December] confirms that 486 persons have died and another 341 persons are missing after the devastating weather conditions in the past week.
171,778 persons have been displaced and have taken refuge at 1,231 safety centers established by the government.
Death toll rises to 607, missing persons reduce to 214 at 1800hrs today (5)
Sri Lanka Navy takes delivery of Ex-USCGC DECISIVE
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486 dead, 341 missing, 171,778 displaced as at 0600hrs today [05]
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