Sri Lanka has no money to pay for fuel shipments and asked its citizens not to queue for gasoline.
Addressing the parliament on Wednesday, Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, said:
"There is a petrol ship in our waters. We do not have the forex."
The Minister said that the country 'hopes' to be able to ship in the following days. He added that the country also owes the supplier $53 million for a prior gasoline shipment.
In its independent history, the nation is facing the worst economic plunge. Apart from fuel, Sri Lanka also faces shortages in food and cooking gas, mainly due to Asia's increased inflation resulting in prices rising by almost 30%.
Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, reported on Monday that there is only enough gasoline to last for about a week and that the government is trying to obtain dollars to pay for three ships of furnace oil and crude oil which are currently anchored in the country's waters.
He added that discussions with the World Bank are taking place to obtain part of the $160 million aid provided for social welfare which will allow the country to purchase fuel imports.
[Based on reporting by: Bloomberg]
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