A Vessel That Should Be Completely Rejected Has Been Brought to Norochcholai

2026-05-26 1206

It Must Not Be Unloaded Without a Proper Investigation

Here Is the Coal Loading Port Report..!

(Attorney-at-Law Athula de Silva and Attorney-at-Law Piyal Darshana Guruge)

The quality of the coal carried by the vessel MV JOSCO YONGZHOU, which arrived for the Norochcholai Power Plant, is at a level that should be completely rejected. On April 30, 2026, at 10:09 a.m., Bureau Veritas Solutions South Africa (Pvt) Ltd sent the Loading Port Report to Sujantha Ratnayake, a Director of the Sri Lanka Coal Company. Copies of the report were also sent to all relevant officials of the Coal Company, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy.

According to the Loading Port Report, a total of 59,766 metric tons of coal were loaded onto the vessel on April 28 and 29, 2026, at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal in South Africa. Although the cargo has been labeled as coal, the ash content recorded is 16.8%. However, Section 5.2 of the tender document submitted by the Sri Lanka Coal Company, titled “LCC Reject Values for Coal,” specifies the rejection threshold as 16%. Accordingly, this shipment cannot legally be purchased by the Sri Lankan Government (or the Coal Company), even after imposing a penalty.

Previously, 18 coal shipments had been unloaded after imposing penalties and making adjusted payments. However, according to the Loading Port Report, this is the first coal shipment whose quality is so poor that it should not even be unloaded. What this cargo contains in abundance is not coal, but “ash.”

The coal shipment, which has now entered Sri Lankan waters, is anchored near the sea area close to Norochcholai. Before any unloading takes place, the Sri Lanka Coal Company, the National Audit Office, and the relevant technical committees must conduct a proper investigation. The “Free Lawyers” organization strongly emphasizes that this vessel should neither be unloaded nor paid for.

We also believe that the Parliamentary Committees and the National Audit Office, which previously investigated the coal fraud allegations, should immediately conduct an on-site inspection, and that the Coal Commission should urgently inquire into this matter. This vessel supplied by Taranjot Resource (Pvt) Ltd is reportedly the first shipment ever brought to Sri Lanka that falls entirely within the category of “reject-quality” coal.

The National Audit Office report dated April 2, 2026, concerning the coal procurement process carried out by the Sri Lanka Coal Company for the Lakvijaya Power Plant, states the following under Section 6.6.3 regarding this company.

“It was observed that on March 30, 2026, agreements had been entered into with Taranjot Resource (Pvt) Ltd, despite the company having failed to meet the expected standards or supply coal in accordance with the required specifications prior to registration.”

Following revelations regarding substandard coal imports linked to Trident Champhar Limited, the Government awarded another emergency procurement tender, which was granted to Taranjot Resource (Pvt) Ltd. The vessel supplied by this company is now considered the poorest-quality coal shipment ever delivered to Norochcholai.

Various parties have stated that the Government has already incurred losses exceeding Rs. 20 billion due to the purchase of substandard coal. Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunatilaka recently informed Parliament that the Government has already withheld Rs. 960 million in payments to companies that supplied inferior coal. If this coal shipment is unloaded under any circumstances, the Coal Company will not be legally permitted to make payments for it under Government Financial Regulations.