Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera says that the petrol tanker which was scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka yesterday (23) will be further delayed.

He apologized for the incident and said that the date of the ship’s arrival would be confirmed and informed later.

Dhammika Perera, Member of Parliament for the SLPP was recently sworn in as a Cabinet Minister before President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Accordingly, he has been sworn in as the Minister of Investment Promotion.

Bell Geospace, the world leaders in gravity gradiometry, has conducted the first aerial mapping of petroleum resources in Sri Lanka in Q4 of 2021, and will be presenting these insights – together with Wintermoon Geophysics- at the prestigious SEAPEX (South East Asia Petroleum Exploration Society) Asia Pacific Conference in London on Thursday the 30th of June.

The mapping project was conducted during the last quarter of 2021 as part of a collaboration between Bell Geospace and the Government of Sri Lanka, with the aim to explore offshore oil and gas potential in the seas off the North and Northwest of the island., official sources said. 

This entailed the acquisition, processing and interpretation of data from Airborne 3D Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometry (FTG), Gravity Gradiometry, and Magnetic Surveys that were employed to gather data on hydrocarbon potential below the surfaces around the Cauvery Basin off the Northern peninsula and the Mannar Basin off the West coast.

Data and interpretation from this survey has revealed new insights into the structure, tectonic history, and hydrocarbon potential of Sri Lanka’s Mannar Basin M1, M2, and the Cauvery Basin C1 blocks.

With Sri Lanka outlaying US$ 6-7 billion annually to purchase fuel, and the domestic hydrocarbon potential estimated at several billion barrels of oil and 9 trillion cubic feet of gas, this is a potential multibillion-dollar revenue stream for the Government of Sri Lanka. 

Especially taking into consideration that Cairn India, which explored the Mannar M2 block, invested US$200 million in the region 10 years ago.

Additionally, with Bell Geospace’s modern geophysical data and interpretation, the publicity created at a major Oil and Gas conference such as SEAPEX in London holds the potential for Sri Lanka to attract a new round of foreign investors bringing in US$ to the country.

US-based Bell Geospace is the leading provider of high quality airborne Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometry (FTG) data for the mining industry. 

This data is used to map geology and thus define the shape and scale of existing mineral deposits as well as highlight potential new areas of exploration.

Wintermoon Geophysics is a premier consulting firm for integrated exploration applications of Gravity, Magnetics, GIS, and Remote Sensing.

Minister of External Affairs Manusha Nanayakkara has held discussions with the top management of government and private banks regarding the possibility of giving more benefits to migrant workers when sending money legally through the banking system.

The Minister requested for additional benefits in addition to the current benefits of sending money through the banking system and it is said that a positive response has been received from the bank representatives.

Accordingly, more attention has been paid to providing low-interest housing loans to migrant workers.

It is reported that the Minister of Mass Media and Transport Bandula Gunawardena has also participated in this occasion and his proposals have also been submitted to the bank representatives.