The Indian ship carrying 38,000 metric tons of fuel arrived in Sri Lanka today (28).

The Indian High Commission in Colombo announced yesterday (27) that an Indian vessel carrying 38,000 metric tons of refined fuel, comprising 18,000 metric tons of petrol and 20,000 metric tons of diesel, is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka today (28).

The Indian government has taken this step with the aim of assisting Lanka IOC PLC in maintaining an uninterrupted fuel supply to the country. Lanka IOC PLC had previously reached agreements to obtain the fuel required for Sri Lanka for the month of March from the Middle East and Singapore regions. However, due to the impact of the Iran war situation, the relevant suppliers have informed Sri Lanka that those fuel orders cannot be supplied on time as per the agreements.

In light of this situation, the Sri Lankan government has sought assistance from the Indian government through the Indian Oil Corporation to prevent a fuel shortage. The fuel vessel arriving in the country today is considered a response to that request and one step of the assistance provided.

Meanwhile, a recent telephone conversation was held between Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian High Commission also states that a discussion was previously held between Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. The Indian High Commission further indicated that during both these high-level discussions, special attention was given to and discussions were held regarding the continuous maintenance of Sri Lanka's fuel supply.