July 15, Colombo: Sri Lanka's petroleum authority, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has assured that there are adequate stocks of refined fuel and was no threat of fuel shortage in the country.

A spokesman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said that the buoy in the Colombo Port that had been damaged has now been repaired. He expected the unloading of crude from the five ships that are anchored in Colombo Port to begin soon.

The spokesman further said that the refining of crude at the Sapugaskanda Refinery might also recommence tomorrow.

The unloading of refined crude oil to the Muthurajawela oil storage facility had to be halted on July 04 after the pipeline on the buoy which pumps oil from deep sea off Uswetakeiyawa to the terminal sustained a burst.

A buoy similarly damaged on June 25 resulted in the temporary closure of Sri Lanka's sole oil refinery at Sapugaskanda.

Sapugaskanda Refinery produces 30 percent of the country's daily petrol and diesel needs, 80 percent of kerosene and 70 percent of aviation fuel needs.

Five crude oil ships are currently anchored at Colombo Port with an accumulated total of over 400,000 MTs of unloaded crude.

Sources say the CPC has to pay US$ 30,000 per day for each ship as demurrage after the first week from ship's arrival, for anchoring without unloading crude oil.