Dr Sarath Obeysekera

We have seen many news items about the visit by the President of Sri Lanka and the MOUs signed between the two countries to convert Trincomalee harbor into an energy hub  A multi-product oil pipeline to be laid between Trincomalee and the nearest Indian export port coupled with the development of Steel oil  tanks built by British in Trinco can be a blow to Chinese plan to build a refinery in Hambantota where Synopac envisage to grab  business fuel bunkering of ships and tankers plying between the Middle East and Far East via southern ocean of Sri Lanka

 One might wonder whether pushing away of sea route in the south in the pretext of saving whales by IMO is an Indian-advocated move to scupper the efforts of Hambantota as the bunkering port for hundreds of ships plying via south.

A feasibility study to convert Trinco for storage and bunkering oil Centre  is being completed with the proposed pipeline from India that may change the Chinese plan to convert Hambantota as the bunkering center 

It is high time for Sri Lankan bunkering operators to move to Trinco and establish business asap 

Dr Sarath Obeysekera