Sri Lanka asked citizens not to queue for gasoline as the nation on the verge of default has no dollars to pay for a fuel shipment.
"There is a petrol ship in our waters," Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera told parliament Wednesday. "We do not have the forex."
Sri Lanka "hopes" to release the ship "today or tomorrow," the minister said. The nation also owes the same supplier $53 million for an earlier shipment of gasoline, he added, without elaborating.
The island nation is in the worst economic tailspin of its independent history. Shortages of everything from food to cooking gas have resulted in Asia's fastest inflation -- with prices surging almost 30% -- and spilling over into social unrest and political turmoil.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe -- less than a week into the job -- said on Monday the nation has only one day's stock of gasoline and the government is working to obtain dollars in the open market to also pay for three ships with crude oil and furnace oil that have been anchored in Sri Lankan waters.
He said in parliament Wednesday that the government was in discussions with the World Bank to channel part of the $160 million aid provided for social welfare, for purchasing fuel imports.
Wijesekera said Sri Lanka's fuel requirement for June is estimated at $530 million, and current supplies of petrol are being prioritized for essential services such as ambulances.
The nation currently has sufficient stocks of diesel, he added.
Sri Lanka Fails To Reach Agreement To Get Next IMF Bailout Tranche Cop Sacked For Playing Piano As Protesters Broke Into Sri Lanka President's House Sri Lanka Records Single-Digit Inflation For 1st Time Since Crisis: Data World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 4 Passengers Die As 12 Coaches Of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derail In UP Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report Woman Dies After Jumping Off Elevated Platform At Delhi Metro Station: Cops No Coercive Action Against Delhi-NCR Home Buyers Over EMI: Supreme Court 60 Rare Siamese Crocodiles Hatch In Cambodia In A Conservation Win Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.