Norochcholai coal shipment faces rejection calls after Free Lawyers says port report shows ash content above Lanka Coal Company limits.
Norochcholai coal shipment concerns have intensified after the Free Lawyers organization claimed that a vessel carrying coal for the Lakvijaya Power Plant should be completely rejected.
The following is based on a media release issued by the Free Lawyers organization.
The organization said a ship that should be fully rejected has been brought to Norochcholai and warned that it should not be unloaded without a proper investigation.
It also released what it described as the port loading report of the coal consignment.
According to the Free Lawyers organization, the quality of coal carried by the MV JOSCO YONGZHOU, which has arrived at the Norochcholai power plant, falls below the value at which the consignment should be “completely rejected.”
The organization said the port loading report was sent by Bureau Veritas Solutions South Africa (Pvt) Ltd to Sujantha Rathnayake, a director of the Lanka Coal Company, at 10.09 am on April 30, 2026.
A copy of the report had also been sent to all officers of the Lanka Coal Company, the Secretary to the Energy Ministry, and several others, it stated.
According to the port loading report, 59,766 metric tonnes of coal were loaded onto the vessel from the Richards Bay Coal Terminal in South Africa on April 28 and 29, 2026.
Although the consignment is labelled as coal, the ash percentage is listed at 16.8 units.
The tender document submitted by the Lanka Coal Company specifies the LCC Reject Values for Coal under section 5.2 as 16 units.
Accordingly, the Free Lawyers organization argues that the Sri Lankan government, through the Lanka Coal Company, has no option to purchase the consignment, even after imposing a penalty.
It said 18 previous coal ships brought into the country had been unloaded after being subjected to fines and payments.
However, the organization claimed that according to the port loading report, this is the first coal vessel whose quality is so “substandard” that it should not even be unloaded.
“What it contains is not coal, but mostly ash,” the organization stated.
The coal consignment has arrived within Sri Lankan waters and is currently anchored near the Norochcholai sea limit.
Before unloading the consignment, the Free Lawyers organization urged the Lanka Coal Company, the Audit Office, and technical committees to conduct a proper investigation.
It emphasized that the ship should not be unloaded and that no payment should be made.
The organization also said parliamentary committees and the Audit Office that previously dealt with the coal fraud should conduct an on-site inspection of the matter.
It further called on the Coal Commission to immediately examine the issue.
According to the organization, the ship operated by Taranjot Resource (Pvt) Ltd represents the first case where a vessel of “quality so poor that it should be completely rejected” has arrived in the country.
The National Audit Office report dated April 2, 2026, on the “Coal Purchase Process by the Lanka Coal Company for the Lakvijaya Power Plant” also referred to the company in section 6.6.3.
“It was observed that an agreement had been entered into on March 30, 2026, with Taranjot Resource (Pvt) Ltd, which had failed to meet the expected standards or supply coal that should have been fulfilled before registration,” the report stated.
After facts were revealed regarding Trident Champhar Limited over the import of substandard coal, the government awarded another tender under emergency purchases.
That tender was awarded to Taranjot Resource (Pvt) Ltd.
The Free Lawyers organization said the vessel supplied by that company is the “most substandard” ship to have arrived at Norochcholai so far.
Various parties have stated that the loss incurred by the government so far due to purchasing substandard coal exceeds Rs. 20 billion.
Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunathilake recently told Parliament that the government had already withheld Rs. 960 crore from payments to companies that supplied substandard coal.
The organization warned that if this coal is unloaded, the Lanka Coal Company has no ability to make payments for it under government financial regulations.
Lawyer Athula de Silva – 07777 69787
Lawyer Piyal Darshana Guruge – 07186 47910, Media inquiries
Free Lawyers Organization
