Sri Lanka is facing a near-total depletion of petrol and diesel as several expected shipments have failed to arrive and have been postponed indefinitely, according to the Minister of Energy on Saturday, apologizing to drivers for the worsening crisis, as reported by Agence France-Presse. Kanchana Wijesekera stated that the oil shipments scheduled to arrive last week did not appear, while the shipments planned for next week will not arrive due to "banking" reasons.
Sri Lanka is experiencing a severe shortage of foreign currency to finance even its most essential imports, including food, fuel, and medicine, and is seeking international aid. Wijesekera added that the state-owned "Ceylon Petroleum" has not set a date for when oil will reach the island, indicating that it has shut down the country’s only oil refinery due to a lack of crude oil. The refinery began operations earlier this month using 90,000 tons of Russian crude oil purchased through the Dubai-based "Coral Energy" on two-month credit terms.
Wijesekera expressed regret that shipments of "petrol, diesel, and crude oil scheduled for this week and next week" will not be fulfilled "on time due to banking and logistical reasons." He noted that remaining supplies will be distributed across a limited number of stations. He mentioned that priority would be given to public transport and power generation, urging drivers not to queue for fuel.
The minister apologized "for the delay and inconvenience" experienced by hundreds of thousands of drivers waiting for hours across the impoverished nation. Last week, the government closed non-essential public institutions, including schools, for two weeks due to the energy crisis. Several hospitals across the country reported a significant drop in the attendance of medical staff due to the fuel shortage.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned parliament on Wednesday that the South Asian nation, with a population of 22 million, will continue to face difficulties for several more months, urging the public to use fuel sparingly. Wickremesinghe stated, "Our economy has faced a complete collapse," adding, "We are now facing a much graver situation that goes beyond mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity, and food." The government has announced its inability to service external debts amounting to $51 billion and is in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a potential bailout plan.
