JKH unit Lanka Marine Services (LMS) had had originally deposited the money on a court order, as part of a case where a tax holiday was revoked and a land ordered to be returned to the state.
The court order to make the termination payment came when a fundamental rights application filed by 77 employees of LMS on November 26 came up in the court Wednesday.
"The court made order that the commissioner general of labour makes order that the sum of 153 million rupees be paid to the employees of LMS," the JKH statement said.
The employees demanded compensation after the Supreme Court cancelled JKH's acquisition of LMS in a privatisation deal. The bunkering business, which for long had an effective monopoly on selling ship fuel in the Colombo, was one of JKH's main sources of profit.