LAUGFS Gas to Resume Sri Lanka Deliveries After Arrival of More Than 3,000 Tonnes of LPG

Gas Goodwill arrives as customers await refills

LAUGFS Gas PLC announced on November 12, 2026, that the vessel GAS GOODWILL had arrived in Sri Lanka carrying more than 3,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, opening the way for cylinder deliveries to resume after a shortage affecting households and businesses.

The company said supplies would return in stages. The cargo must first be unloaded, after which LAUGFS will fill cylinders and dispatch them through its distributor and dealer network. Availability at individual shops is expected to improve as those deliveries reach local outlets.

Customers should check with an authorised LAUGFS dealer or call 1345 before travelling to buy a refill. The arrival gives the company fresh stock to distribute, while customers still need confirmation that cylinders have reached their nearest outlet.

The shipment follows weeks of pressure over interrupted supplies, including a consumer protection case and efforts to obtain permission to release gas from the company's Hambantota terminal. Earlier in November, LAUGFS outlined plans for three cargoes during the month, alongside a proposed change to the terminal's operating arrangements.

How deliveries will reach households and businesses

LAUGFS said cylinder distribution would resume progressively for both domestic and commercial customers. Its announced sequence is unloading, cylinder filling and dispatch through distributors and dealers. A ship's arrival is therefore the first step in getting a refill back into a customer's kitchen or business.

Local availability will depend on deliveries reaching each outlet. LAUGFS acknowledged the difficulties customers had faced in securing refills and thanked them for their patience.

LAUGFS Gas PLC gave customers this advice in its statement:

"Customers can check stock with their nearest authorized Laugfs Gas dealer or call 1345 before visiting an outlet," the company said.

Checking first can spare customers a journey to a shop still awaiting cylinders. For businesses that use LPG, confirmation from a dealer also provides a more useful basis for planning than the vessel's arrival alone.

Three cargoes were planned for November

LAUGFS had announced on November 3 that it had arranged three LPG shipments for the month. Two were expected at Hambantota and one at Colombo, with their arrival windows spread across November.

The first OQT shipment was expected at Hambantota between November 12 and 14. A Geogas shipment was scheduled for Colombo between November 15 and 17, followed by another OQT shipment at Hambantota between November 24 and 28.

The November 12 announcement named GAS GOODWILL as the arriving vessel. Its arrival falls within the first planned window, although the announcement did not identify the cargo's supplier or port. The company had said the November schedule depended on shipping arrangements, port operations and regulatory approvals.

The sequence of promises, legal action and shipment plans shows how the effort to restore supplies developed:

• October 20 to 28: An earlier shipment of 3,800 metric tonnes was expected, according to Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, but missed that window.
• October 29: The Consumer Affairs Authority filed a case against LAUGFS over interrupted supplies.
• November 2 to 5: The company had given authorities a revised arrival window for the earlier expected delivery.
• November 3: LAUGFS outlined its plan for three November cargoes and its request for permission to supply the domestic market through Hambantota.
• November 11: LAUGFS was summoned to appear in the consumer protection case.
• November 12: LAUGFS announced GAS GOODWILL's arrival with more than 3,000 metric tonnes of LPG.
• November 15 to 17 and November 24 to 28: The remaining planned arrival windows were for cargoes at Colombo and Hambantota respectively.

Why the Hambantota terminal needs permission

LAUGFS Terminals Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of LAUGFS Gas, sought three months of temporary permission to supply Sri Lanka's domestic market from its Hambantota terminal. The facility cost US$65 million, began operations in 2019 and has storage capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes.

The terminal operates under the Board of Investment's Commercial Hub framework. This arrangement supports activities including importing goods for later export. LAUGFS said the rules link releases for domestic consumption to 40% of the annual value of re-export turnover.

In simple terms, permission to sell gas locally is tied to the value of gas traded onward to other countries. LAUGFS said reduced re-export activity had limited the amount it could release into Sri Lanka's market.

The company attributed its difficulty maintaining the required re-export levels to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka's economic and political crisis, shortages of foreign currency and downgrades to the country's sovereign credit rating. These were the company's stated explanations for the restrictions affecting domestic releases.

The terminal's 30,000 metric tonnes of storage capacity is ten times the 3,000 tonne threshold exceeded by the arriving shipment. Storage capacity describes how much the facility can hold; the Commercial Hub rules govern the conditions under which gas can enter the local market.

What authorities were being asked to approve

LAUGFS said on November 3 that it was working with the Board of Investment, the Ministry of Finance, Sri Lanka Customs and the Department of Imports and Exports Control to move the terminal out of Commercial Hub status. The proposed operating arrangements would include payment of applicable duties and taxes.

The company also said the Board of Investment chairman had informed it that, following instructions from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, he had written to the Treasury secretary seeking the necessary approvals within one week. Approval was still pending when LAUGFS described those efforts.

The November 12 arrival announcement set out the unloading and distribution process, without giving a date for full restoration, confirming the status of the requested terminal permissions or reporting the outcome of the November 11 court appearance.

For customers, the immediate milestone is the return of filled cylinders to dealers. For the company, its November plan also involved securing the operating permissions needed to maintain domestic supplies through Hambantota.

A shortage already facing court scrutiny

The Consumer Affairs Authority's October court filing concerned LAUGFS Gas PLC's alleged failure to maintain uninterrupted supplies under Direction No. 86. The case was filed on October 29 at Court No. 5 of the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court, with the company summoned for November 11 before Additional Magistrate Darshima Premaratne.

Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said the legal action followed repeated assurances about incoming shipments and the failure of an expected cargo carrying 3,800 metric tonnes to arrive within its October 20 to 28 window. The company later gave authorities a revised window of November 2 to 5.

The authority operates under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003. Its allegation concerns the company's obligation to keep gas available to consumers. The shipment announcement addresses the immediate supply problem, while the legal case concerns the earlier interruptions.

Households faced a financial obstacle to changing suppliers during the shortage. Samarasinghe said some consumers had paid deposits of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000 for their LAUGFS cylinders. Moving to rival Litro could require paying for a different cylinder, even as Litro increased deliveries.

For those customers, access to LAUGFS refills would allow them to keep using the cylinders they already hold. Businesses dependent on those cylinders also stand to regain access through the same distribution network as deliveries resume.

Shipping pressures and plans for January

LAUGFS attributed part of its supply difficulties to conflict in the Middle East and disruptions to maritime transport through the Strait of Hormuz. The company said those conditions had complicated international LPG procurement and shipping for Sri Lanka and other importing countries.

LPG is liquefied petroleum gas, the fuel supplied in cooking gas cylinders. Restoring its supply requires several connected steps: purchasing a cargo, transporting it by sea, clearing it for release, filling cylinders and moving them to dealers. LAUGFS's announcements describe difficulties involving both international deliveries and domestic release arrangements.

The company has also called a fresh tender for direct LPG deliveries to Colombo beginning in January 2027. A tender invites suppliers to compete for a contract. That procurement plan sits alongside the November cargo schedule and the effort to change the Hambantota terminal's operating status.

LAUGFS further stated that neither LAUGFS Gas PLC nor LAUGFS Terminals Ltd. is designated by the United States Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, known as OFAC. The company made that clarification while explaining its supply and regulatory position.

The next scheduled cargo windows are November 15 to 17 at Colombo and November 24 to 28 at Hambantota. In the meantime, the company's practical instruction to customers remains to confirm local stock through an authorised dealer or the 1345 hotline before visiting an outlet.

Key Points

• GAS GOODWILL arrived in Sri Lanka with more than 3,000 metric tonnes of LPG, LAUGFS announced on November 12.
• Cylinder deliveries will resume in stages after unloading, filling and dispatch to distributors and dealers.
• Customers should check local availability with an authorised LAUGFS dealer or call 1345.
• LAUGFS planned three November cargoes, with further arrival windows at Colombo and Hambantota.
• The company sought temporary permission for domestic supplies through Hambantota while pursuing changes to the terminal's operating status.
• A Consumer Affairs Authority case concerns alleged failures to maintain uninterrupted supplies.
• LAUGFS has called a tender for direct deliveries to Colombo starting in January 2027.