Big relief for Sri Lanka: India sends 38,000 MT of fuel to Colombo

Following a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dissanayake on March 24, a shipment comprising 20,000 MT of diesel and 18,000 MT of petrol arrived in Colombo on March 28.

In a statement, the Indian Embassy in Colombo said Lanka IOC had earlier secured fuel supplies for March from the Middle East and Singapore. However, suppliers were unable to fulfil their commitments and invoked force majeure due to supply disruptions and vessel unavailability arising from the ongoing regional conflict.

“Due to the above disruptions, rescue supplies were requested from India through IOCL,” the statement said.

It added that the current shipment forms part of these emergency supplies, with the Government of India, through Lanka IOC, extending support to ensure continuity of fuel availability in Sri Lanka.

The development comes as several countries worldwide grapple with fuel supply disruptions amid instability in the Middle East.