Libya’s oil production drops to 600.000 bpd from a recent 1 million bpd due to fighting

Libya’s oil production has dropped to between 600,000 and 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) from more than one million following clashes at its Ras Lanuf and Sidra oil terminals, a Libyan oil source said on Wednesday.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) is looking at options to divert some oil exports from Ras Lanuf to Brega and Zueitina terminals, Reuters reported the sources as saying.

Ras Lanuf and Es Sider have been closed since June 14, when armed factions led by Petroleum Facilities Guard former chairman Ibrahim Jodran attacked the forces led by Khalifa Haftar in the two ports, forcing the NOC to close them and declare force majeure on exports.

Two oil storage tanks at Ras Lanuf, tanks No. 2 and 12, were set on fire during the oil crescent fighting, shrinking storage capacity there by 400,000 barrels.

An NOC team visited the site to asses the damage and reported that one of the storage units was still burning at a low level, Sanalla said, according to Reuters.

Brega and Zueitina, which are located east of Ras Lanuf and Sidra in Libya’s eastern oil crescent, have remained operational and under the control of Haftar’s forces.

Haftar’s self-styled army has said it is preparing a counter offensive to take back Ras Lanuf and Sidra, launching a series of air strikes against their rivals in the area.