Ananda Palitha, Convener and spokesperson of the Samagi United Trade Union Force (SUTUF), affiliated to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), alleged on Thursday that permission had been granted for unloading a stock of substandard diesel at the Kolonnawa refinery although both initial and subsequent tests conducted by the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL) laboratory had proved that the fuel was of inferior quality.

Speaking to journalists in Colombo, Palitha revealed that fuel samples sent for testing at the CPSTL laboratory had been found to be substandard. However, the ship had been allowed to initiate the unloading process.

According to reports, a chemical was used to settle dust particles at the bottom of the tank, and a new fuel sample was sent to the CPSTL laboratory to obtain an approved report. Despite pending approval, the plan is to pump out the dust particles from the ship into the Kolonnawa fuel tanks, where high-quality diesel is stored. The CPSTL laboratory tests confirmed that the diesel fuel did not meet their specifications, according to Ananda.

Palitha said the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) had imported 20,000 tonnes of diesel to China Bay and an additional 11,000 metric tons to the Kolonnawa refinery from the ship ‘MT-FOS POWER,’ which arrived on 05 Nov. Earlier, 6,500 tonnes of petrol had been unloaded because it passed the CPSTL laboratory tests, he said.

During the ship visit by the CPSTL laboratory assistant manager and a representative from the LIOC, it was found that the diesel stock was of subpar quality. However, permission was granted for unloading at the behest of the CPC management.

Palitha noted that the deputy laboratory technician had raised concerns, stating that if the diesel stock did not meet CPSTL specifications, it should not be unloaded. He also expressed concern over the government’s failure to decide on compensation for those whose vehicles suffered extensive damage due to substandard fuel.

Ananda said the manager who had accepted the substandard fuel stock was currently serving as the deputy general manager, responsible for overseeing laboratory testing and making crucial decisions in this regard.

Palitha warned that if the substandard diesel stock was unloaded entirely, distribution would commence and vehicle owners would suffer losses.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa recently revealed in Parliament that a stock of 40,000 tonnes of substandard diesel had been released to the market despite quality failures. He cited two LIOC laboratory test reports that had detected the inferior quality of the diesel stock.