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Ceylon Petroleum Corp (CPC) is issuing additional stocks of petrol on Saturday, to prevent motorists from triggering another panic attack on Sri Lankan fuel sheds, its Chairman said.



Ceylon Petroleum Corp (CPC) is issuing additional stocks of petrol on Saturday, to prevent motorists from triggering another panic attack on Sri Lankan fuel sheds, its Chairman said. Motorists guzzle up a million litres of petrol a day and CPC Chief Jaliya Medagama says ample stocks are being issued from Ceypetco's Kolonnawa depots to cover the weekend rush.

"Kolonnawa will issue 500 metric tonnes or 700,000 litres of petrol which is 70 percent of the country's daily requirement.

That's more than enough for a public holiday like Saturday," Medagama told LBO.

State-run CPC's single Sapugaskanda refinery is closed for routine maintenance from early July until August – a move carried out once every two years.

About 40,000 tonnes of refined products are being shipped in each week to fill up local sheds, but constraints at the port means it takes five days to unload a single ship.

A CPC shipment due late Sunday is being delayed till Monday evening, sparking panic buying at sheds around the