A chemical vessel transporting 31,000 Metric Tons of 92 percent Octane petroleum procured by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) as an emergency measure to cushion off the effects of a fuel shortage, arrived in the island last night.
Officials from the CPC told the Daily News that this shipment was enough to cater to the demand which has doubled in the last four days due to a shortage in the market. However, speaking to the Daily News, the CPC Common Workers Union alleged that this was merely a short fix for a long term problem.
“We have never had buffer stocks. We’ve been importing and procuring as and when the stocks run out. We need to break free of this cycle and ensure that we maintain enough stocks,” said D. G. Rajakaruna, Secretary to the CPC Common Workers Union.
“Our primary problem is the lack of storage facility for which we’ve tabled necessary proposals and agreements. We’ve asked that the government make use of the Trincomalee Oil Farm.”
Rajakaruna said despite the fact that there is a Cabinet paper on the matter, the issue has been on hold for far too long. “We recently protested, demanding the government to make use of these oil tanks, which has sufficient storage. At present, even the LIOC is not making use of all the tanks. There’s no reason why it cannot be shared.”
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