Sri Lanka’s supplies hit, India sends fuel shipment
Posted on March 28th, 2026
Courtesy The Indian Express
…A shipment of 38,000 MT (metric tonnes) of petroleum, of which 20,000 MT is diesel and 18,000 MT petrol, has arrived in Colombo today 28th March, 2026,” the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement.
In a significant outreach, India has sent a shipment of fuel to Sri Lanka, days after the phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Fuel shortage and panic buying have led to queues in the island nation, which depends on imports for its energy demand.
…A shipment of 38,000 MT (metric tonnes) of petroleum, of which 20,000 MT is diesel and 18,000 MT petrol, has arrived in Colombo today 28th March, 2026,” the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement.
Lanka IOC had earlier secured fuel supplies for March from the Middle East and Singapore. However, suppliers with whom the contracts were placed, expressed their inability to deliver the product and invoked force majeure, in view of supply disruptions and vessel unavailability due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” it said.
Due to the above disruptions, rescue supplies were requested from India from IOCL. The current shipment of 38,000 MT is part of these supplies. Government of India, through Lanka IOC, has extended support to Sri Lanka for maintaining continuity of fuel supply,” it said.
According to experts, the shipment can help fuel 800,000-1 million vehicles, assuming an average tank capacity of 45-60 litres.
On March 23, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a telephone conversation with his Lankan counterpart, Vijitha Herath. This was followed by Dissanayake’s phone call to Modi the next day, where the leaders discussed the evolving situation in West Asia.