Libya’s Nafoura and Al-Majid oil fields, with a combined production of around 29,000 barrels per day, have been closed after Zueitina oil port was shut down, an energy official Nov. 5.
Libya’s National Oil Corp. has declared force majeure on the port after guards there said they would only allow tankers registered with the country’s recognized government in the east to load crude.
Omran Al-Zwei, spokesman for eastern Libyan oil unit AGOCO told Reuters the two fields were closed after the port decision by the Petrol Facilities Guard, a force commanded by federalist leader Ibrahim al-Jathran.
The North African OPEC state is caught in a conflict between its recognized government and a self-proclaimed one controlling Tripoli. Both Tripoli and the east have appointed rival NOC officials and oil ministers.
Jathran's forces, which are aligned with the recognised government in the east, have controlled major oil ports for more than a year. But Ras Lanuf and Es Sider ports, with a combined capacity of 500,000 bbl/d, have been shut since December.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi four years ago when Libya produced 1.6 million bbl/d, the country's production has been hit by conflict, strikes and protests almost constantly. Output was at around 450,000 bbl/d before the Zueitina stoppage.
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