Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Managing Director Mayura Neththikumarage has confirmed that another vessel carrying diesel is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on April 27, with a petrol cargo to follow before the end of the month.
The diesel shipment will carry 9,500 metric tonnes, while the petrol cargo due before April 30 will bring in 35,000 metric tonnes, the MD told NewsFirst on Thursday.
The announcement confirms continuous resupply at a time when Brent crude has reversed higher on Iran’s refusal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crossed $105 a barrel on Thursday — the first time above $100 since the conflict began — after Tehran said it could not open the chokepoint while the US naval blockade remains in place.
The April 27 diesel cargo is relatively small by CPC standards; the full crude tanker that arrived April 17 carried roughly 97,500 metric tonnes. The 35,000-tonne petrol shipment is the larger of the two pending deliveries and is intended to rebuild stocks after the Avurudu travel peak.
CPC has leaned on parcel-sized shipments from India and Singapore to maintain distribution while the Middle East route remains under stress. Neththikumarage did not disclose the unit price for either cargo. Earlier CPC shipments in April were priced well above pre-crisis benchmarks, with diesel premiums running $48-50 per barrel compared with roughly $3 before the war.
