Category: Libya

The force defending oil ports in eastern Libya pushed back an onslaught that Islamist militias had started 11 days ago to capture the facilities. “We pushed them back and it’s we who are now attacking them,” Ali al-Hasy, a spokesman of the Petroleum Facilities Guard, said by phone from Es Sider, Libya’s largest oil port. “The oil ports are safe and they suffered no damage. All the fighting took place well outside the ports.” The Tripoli-based Libyan News Agency today reported the death of Tareq Shnena, the commander of the Islamist force tasked with capturing the eastern oil ports. He succumbed to wounds sustained in the fighting near Es Sider, it said, without saying where it got the information. State-run National Oil Corp. on Dec. 13 declared force majeure in Es Sider and the neighboring Ras Lanuf oil port, Libya’s third-largest. The move came after the Islamist-backed, self-proclaimed government […]

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Libya’s oil output fell below its own consumption as fighting spread to Mellitah, a region that hosts the country’s fourth largest oil port, the state petroleum company said. National Oil Corp. already this month declared force majeure at two export terminals, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, after an attempt by Islamist militias to capture them. Force majeure is a legal status that protects a company from liability when it can’t fulfill a contract for reasons beyond its control. National Oil on Sunday reported clashes in the Mellitah area, Libya’s westernmost oil port. “There is no damage to the facilities till this hour, and the port of Mellitah is still open,” said Mohammed Elharari, the spoksman of the company, by phone in Tripoli, without giving an estimate for the nation’s current oil output. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates Libya’s consumption was 239,000 barrels of oil a day in 2013. […]

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Conflict in Libya endures after civil war, with oil production well below pre-conflict levels. NATO says its mindful of the situation, but rules out military action. File Photo by Tarek Alhuony/UPI BRUSSELS, Dec. 19 (UPI) — With conflict curbing Libya’s oil potential, NATO officials said they’ve reviewed the situation, but have not discussed any military role in the country. Last weekend, the oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf were shuttered because of armed clashes in the region. Combined, the two ports can handle 560,000 barrels of oil per day, about half of the country’s total export capacity. Libyan stability since the end of civil war in 2011 has faltered amid clashes between armed groups fighting for more control over the oil-rich country. Pre-conflict oil production was higher than 1 million barrels per day, though output has slumped recently to as low as 330,000 bpd because of clashes […]

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Libya ’s National Oil Corp. declared force majeure on the oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, and is taking measures to halt output at some oil fields because of armed clashes in the politically-divided North African country. Fighting factions should spare energy infrastructure in Libya, the state-run National Oil Corp. said in a statement yesterday on its website. Force majeure is in place at Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, Libya’s largest and third-largest oil ports with a combined capacity of 560,000 barrels a day. The measure is a legal step that protects a company from liability when it can’t fulfill a contract for reasons beyond its control. National Oil, known as NOC, didn’t say which oil fields are being halted. NOC is adopting measures to protect wells, pumps and pipelines. “Force majeure has been declared at the oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf because of […]

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Oil production from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) totaled 30.01 million barrels per day (b/d) in November, down 290,000 b/d from October, and down for a second consecutive month as Libyan production went into reverse after several months of steady gains, according to the latest Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials and analysts. The November level compared to October output of 30.3 million barrels per day and is within a few hundred thousand barrels of the 30-million-b/d ceiling that OPEC, at its recent end-November meeting, decided to maintain despite multiple projections that such production could create a significant supply overhang in the market. Libyan production had climbed to an average 860,000 b/d in October, almost double the July level. But a new security-related shut-in at the Sharara field in early November resulted in a month-on-month drop of 210,000 b/d. “This is the great irony […]

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Islamic State militants have set up training camps in eastern Libya, the head of the US Africa command says. Gen David Rodriguez said there could be "a couple of hundred” IS fighters undergoing training at the sites. He said the camps were at a very early stage, but the US was watching them "carefully to see how it develops". Libya has been in turmoil since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, with various tribes, militias and political factions fighting for power. Several Islamist groups are competing for power in the east of the country, with some militants recently declaring allegiance to IS. Syria connection Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, Gen Rodriguez said it was not yet clear how closely aligned the trainees were with IS. "It’s mainly about people coming for training and logistics support right now, for training sites," he said. "Right now it’s just small and very […]

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Both Libya’s internationally recognized government and a rival government want to attend the Nov. 27 OPEC meeting in Vienna, Reuters reported Nov. 26. Libya’s internationally recognized government will send three delegates to the meeting, a spokesman said. The rival government, which operates out of Tripoli, says it will refuse to comply with any production decisions if it is denied access to the meeting. An OPEC representative said the group’s only role is to facilitate the meeting, and it does not send invitations to member countries.

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By Benoit Faucon Libya is currently producing 700,000 barrels a day of oil, a top energy official said Wednesday. The country’s current production, less than half of its normal level of about 1.5 million barrels a day, has been hit by frequent unrest and strikes. Speaking to reporters, Mohamed Oun, a deputy vice-prime minister for energy, also said his government decided to replace the head of the National Oil Co. Mustafa Sanallah with Almabrouk Abuseif Alahirish. Mr. Sanallah couldn’t be reached for comment. It’s unclear how Libya’s internationally recognized government could enforce the decision. A rival rebel cabinet is in control of NOC’s offices in Tripoli. Mr. Oun is part of a team sent to Vienna by the internationally recognized government for a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Deputy-Prime minister Abdulraman al-Taher Alahirish told reporters he would lead the Libyan delegation at the gathering. Under […]

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Until a few months ago, we were still debating whether Libya was becoming a “failed state” or had already become a “failed state.” Unfortunately, the question has now been answered. Continue Reading

BENGHAZI, Libya Nov 23 (Reuters) – Libya’s Nafoura oilfield will resume production on Monday after protesters demanding jobs ended a protest, officials at the Libyan state operator said on Sunday. The field in volatile eastern Libya used to produce up to 65,000 barrels a day of oil until local protesters forced a shutdown over a month ago to demand to be hired by the state oil firm AGOCO, oil officials said. "The production at Nafoura oilfield will resume tomorrow," AGOCO spokesman Omran Zawie said. Several mostly smaller fields in the east have been closed in the past three months by locals making political or financial demands, part of turmoil in Libya three years after the ouster of former strongman Muammar Gaddafi. Separately, oil officials said the southwestern El Feel field has not yet resumed production after Libya shut it down more than a week ago when clashes forced the […]

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