Libya’s state oil firm declares force majeure on Al-Zawiya oil refinery exports

BY Libyan Express Jul 18, 2018 - 12:00

Libya’s Al-Zawiya oil refinery operating in half capacity. (Photo: Internet)

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Tuesday it had declared force majeure on exports from Zawiya oil terminal as production at Sharara oilfield dropped to 125,000 barrels per day (bpd).

Production at Sharara, where some staff were evacuated after two workers were abducted on Saturday, was enough to supply Zawiya refinery but left no excess for export, the NOC said in a statement Tuesday.

“Employee safety is always our first priority. This incident required us to shutdown and evacuate a number of stations,” NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanallah said in the statement.

“We have to prioritize local demand for fuel. For the time being all, Sharara production will go to the refinery,” he added.

Tripoli-based NOC operates Sharara in partnership with Repsol, Total, OMV and Equinor , formerly known as Statoil.

An unknown armed group abducted the workers, one Libyan and one Romanian, from a control station on the periphery of the field on Saturday.

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