Sri Lanka is getting Russian crude oil, which will be used to create fuel, as the country struggles with severe shortages of everything from gasoline to diesel.
Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe said the Russian grade of Siberian Light would be processed at Ceylon Petroleum Corp.’s refinery at Sapugaskanda. According to the country’s power and energy minister, the country’s lone refinery received crude on May 28, allowing it to restart for the first time in over two months.
After Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine provoked sanctions, Sri Lanka has become the latest Asian country to receive Russian crude. Most refiners in the United States and Europe have stopped buying Russian oil, causing the price of Russian oil to drop, while opportunistic buying from Asian clients has increased.
The Sapugaskanda refinery is using Siberian Light crude, said Wijesinghe. It’s one of several grades of crude that our refinery can process, alongside Abu Dhabi’s Murban and Iranian Light oil, he said. It’s still unclear how Sri Lanka will be paying for the shipment. “Sapugaskanda refinery commenced operations for first time since March 20 with a crude oil cargo unloaded,” Minister Kanchana Wijesekera tweeted recently. “The refinery will start producing fuel oil in six days.”
