Coronavirus forces Libyan Oil Companies out of business

Two of Libya’s National Oil Company affiliates on Monday sent some oil workers home and halted some work due to the spread of Covid-19, according to a NOC statement.

Libya’s Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) has suspended all work for 30 days “to protect workers from the pandemic”, NOC said on Monday. Libya’s largest refinery, Zawiya is placing 10% of its staff on emergency leave.

Zawiya processes 120,000 barrels per day, and supplies western and southern Libya with fuel.

The moves are precautionary, the companies said, and not the result of any outbreak of the coronavirus among its oil workers.

Libya’s oil terminals have been closed for some time, which has caused the massive blackouts because the condensate reservoirs at the export ports are now filled to the brim, and there is nowhere to put the gas that is the byproduct of condensate.

Libya reported an additional 1,080 cases of Covid-19 on Monday, according to official figures cited by Reuters, bringing its total number of cases to more than 18,800. It is the highest number of virus cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

More than half of those new infections were from persons located in Tripoli and the surrounding suburbs.