NOC: Sharara oilfield is under new security violations

BY Libyan Express Jan 01, 2019 - 16:58

: Libya’s Sharara oil field – NOC

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) confirmed an overnight security breach at the Sharara oil field.

The NOC said that in the early hours of Monday, December 31, 2018, an armed group attacked a member of the site’s civil guard, physically assaulting and restraining him, before stealing six air conditioning units.

In a separate incident, another group of criminals forced their way into the field’s support facility, breaking the gates at a catering warehouse prior to stealing vital goods.

NOC expressed grave concern at this latest security breach, symptomatic of ongoing security failures and the inability of forces assigned to protect this field of national importance.

NOC renewed its call for an immediate restructuring of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) at the Sharara field, in order to guarantee worker safety and the timely restart of operations.

NOC chairman, Eng. Mustafa Sanallah said: “There are around 1,500 security personnel, mandated and tasked with the protection of Libya’s largest oil field, and yet these incidents continue to occur; basic responsibilities are not being fulfilled.

“Restructuring our security provision has to be a top priority for everyone in order to prevent further damage to the Libyan economy and the future of our country,” said Sanallah.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.