An armed group has closed the valve on the main oil pipeline “Hamada“, which connects the field of the same name to Libya's largest refinery – “Zawiya“. The shutdown has cut off crude oil supplies to the facility, Libya's National Oil Corporation said, as quoted by Reuters.
This is the second time in October that an armed group has cut off supplies to the refinery. The recurring incidents highlight the fragility of Libya's oil sector, which remains exposed to political and security risks.
Warning of losses
The National Oil Corporation warned that a prolonged interruption in the flow would reduce the amount of crude oil destined for the refinery. “A prolonged interruption in the flow of crude oil will inevitably result in the loss of approximately 15,000 barrels of crude oil per day destined for the Zawiya refinery,“ the corporation said in a statement.
The NOC called on the Oil Facilities Security Service to assist in opening the pipeline. This structure is responsible for the security of Libyan oil fields.
A key refinery for the domestic market
„Zawiya“ can process up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day. The refinery is also connected to the „Sharara“ field, whose production capacity reaches 300,000 barrels per day.
The disruption affects an important link between the extraction and processing of crude oil in the western part of the country. The NOC statement did not provide any details about the immediate shutdown of the refinery itself or the fuel shortage.
Libyan oil production has been repeatedly disrupted for political and technical reasons since the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The oil sector is the country's main source of income and accounts for approximately 90% of its economy.
The National Oil Corporation has so far requested assistance to restore the flow, but has not announced a deadline for opening the valve. It has not been announced which specific armed group is behind the shutdown.
Sources: bta.bg, devdiscourse.com