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Amid the ongoing war situation in the Middle East, a major topic being discussed in Sri Lanka is whether the country might face a fuel shortage.
Social Media Posts:
The post claims that the Minister of Energy, Kumara Jayakody, had stated, “We will not allow a fuel shortage to occur due to the war in the Middle East. The Navy will be deployed to provide security for oil ships coming to Sri Lanka.”
The post has been presented in a way that makes it appear as though it was published on March 1 by the official ‘Newswire‘ Facebook page.
It also appears that the statement has been shared from a satirical or sarcastic angle, suggesting that even if a war situation exists, a fuel shortage will not be allowed to occur and that the Sri Lankan Navy would provide security to oil tankers arriving in the country.
Another social media user also shared the statement, allegedly made by the minister, in a sarcastic manner, questioning how the Sri Lankan Navy would protect oil tankers when even large warships are being attacked.
Considering requests from readers to verify the accuracy of this claim, we conducted a fact-check on the matter.
Fact Check :
A few days ago, the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran, drawing the Middle East into a military conflict. Reports also indicate that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during these attacks, further increasing tensions in the region.
In this situation, fears of a possible fuel shortage in Sri Lanka have led to long queues at fuel stations over the past few days.
It was during this situation that social media posts began circulating, claiming that the Minister of Energy, Kumara Jayakody, had said that a fuel shortage would not be allowed to occur due to the Middle East conflict and that the Sri Lankan Navy would provide security for oil tankers coming to Sri Lanka.
The post’s resemblance to ‘Newswire’ prompted us to investigate its official Facebook page first. However, we confirmed that no such post had been published there. We also checked mainstream media reports, but did not find any evidence that the Minister had made such a statement.
However, Minister of Energy Engineer Kumara Jayakody did make a special statement on the 01st of March about the country’s fuel stocks. He said that there is no fuel shortage in the country and that Sri Lanka has fuel reserves for more than a month in this way.
On the 2nd of March, at a special media briefing held by the Government Information Department, Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalin D. Jayathissa and D.J. Rajakaruna, Chairman of the Petroleum Regulatory Authority, emphasised that there is currently no fuel shortage in the country. They also stated that sufficient fuel reserves are available and that several more oil tankers are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka in the coming days.
Minister of Energy’s Media Secretary
We also asked the media secretary of Minister of Power Kumara Jayakody whether the Minister had made the statement circulating on social media claiming that they will not allow a fuel shortage due to the conflict in the Middle East and that the Sri Lankan Navy will provide security for oil tankers arriving in the country. The media secretary confirmed that the Minister had not made any such statement.
Navy Spokesperson
We further asked Commander Buddhika Sampath, the spokesperson for the Sri Lanka Navy, whether special security would be provided for oil tankers currently arriving in, or scheduled to arrive in, Sri Lanka, as implied by the circulating post. The spokesperson clarified that providing security to any vessel entering Sri Lanka’s territorial waters is always the responsibility of the Navy, regardless of whether there is an ongoing war. Maritime security operations are responsible for all such protection measures.
Fuel supply and reserves
At a special media briefing on the 2nd, the government informed the public that there is no fuel shortage in the country. Sufficient fuel reserves are available, and there is no need for unnecessary panic or stockpiling.
D.J. Rajakaruna, Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, stated that the fuel tankers arriving in Sri Lanka do not come from the Middle East. Fuel shipments come from other regions, and over the past year, tankers have arrived from countries such as India, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. The Chairman also provided numerical details in this manner, showing that the CPC has sufficient fuel reserves to last for a month.
He further explained that crude oil imports from the Middle East are also already prepared, and even if the Middle East conflict continues, the country is ready to import crude oil from other regions as needed. Therefore, the Chairman emphasised that no fuel shortage will occur in Sri Lanka.
During the same media briefing, the Cabinet Spokesperson also provided a clear update on the oil tankers scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka in the coming days, including their expected arrival dates as follows:
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Conclusion:
Our investigation shows that Minister of Power Kumara Jayakody did not make the statement circulating on social media, which claimed, “We will not allow a fuel shortage due to the Middle East conflict. The Sri Lankan Navy will provide security for oil tankers arriving in the country.” The post was fabricated using a fabricated version of the ‘Newswire’ format.
However, the Minister and other responsible government authorities have confirmed that there is no fuel shortage in the country, even in the context of the Middle East conflict.
Title:Fact Check: No Evidence Energy Minister Promised Naval Protection to Prevent Fuel Shortage
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: Misleading
