About four ships carrying fuel have arrived at the Colombo Port but the unloading of fuel has stalled due to the non-issuance of dollars for fuel amid the ongoing dollar deficit in the country.
The circumstance has led to summing up a late fee of US$ 300,000 (over Rs. 60 million).
As of now, two ships carrying 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel, one ship carrying 30,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel and one ship carrying 30,000 metric tonnes of petrol have arrived at the Port, but the unloading of fuel has started only on the ship carrying petrol.
Despite the order, the unloading of fuel may not be carried out until the required amount of dollars are issued, and the crisis could worsen given the rising late fee amidst the ongoing standstill.
MIAP