COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — March 28, 2026 — India has delivered an emergency shipment of 38,000 metric tons of petroleum to Sri Lanka, including 20,000 metric tons of diesel and 18,000 metric tons of petrol, according to a statement from the High Commission of India in Colombo, as the island nation grapples with fuel supply disruptions linked to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The shipment follows a telephone conversation on March 24 between Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka, as well as discussions a day earlier between India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.
Lanka IOC, the local subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation, had earlier secured fuel supplies for March from suppliers in the Middle East and Singapore. However, those suppliers were unable to fulfill their contracts, invoking force majeure due to supply disruptions and vessel unavailability amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Faced with the shortfall, Sri Lanka requested urgent assistance from India. The shipment, which arrived in Colombo on March 28, is part of what officials described as “rescue supplies” arranged through Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
The Government of India, acting through Lanka IOC, said it had extended support to ensure the continuity of fuel supply in Sri Lanka.
The development highlights Sri Lanka’s continued vulnerability to global energy shocks, as geopolitical tensions strain supply chains and disrupt access to critical imports.
