Oil tanks full to the brink at Libya’s oil export terminals are posing a risk to local communities and the facilities themselves, the chairman of the National Oil Corporation, Mustafa Sanalla, warned yesterday. “The militarization of oil facilities, the presence of mercenaries as well as the military escalation increase the risks that hydrocarbons and chemicals stored at oil ports pose to workers and local population,” Sanalla said. “This may lead to a disaster that is more severe than Beirut’s port and a massive destruction that will cause Libya to be out of the oil market for so many years.” An oil terminal blockade by groups affiliated with the Libyan National Army led by controversial figure Khalifa Haftar has decimated Libya’s oil production, from over 1 million bpd to about 100,000 bpd. However, the blockade also almost stopped exports, so most of whatever oil has been produced has been stored, […]