Production from Libya’s largest oil field was returning to normal after being briefly disrupted by armed protesters who broke into a control room in the coastal city of Zawiya, the National Oil Corp. (NOC) said on Aug. 7.
A pipeline supplying jet fuel and gasoline from Zawiya to Tripoli that the protesters had also closed has reopened, the NOC added.
Libya’s Sharara Field has been producing about 270,000 bbl/d, accounting for about a quarter of the country’s output. It has been key to a revival in Libya’s oil production, which climbed to more than 1 MMbbl/d in late June from just over 200,000 bbl/d a year ago.
Libya has been exempted from an OPEC-led push to cut global production and bolster oil prices, and the recovery of the North African country’s output has complicated efforts to curb supply.
The NOC gave no reason for the protest in Zawiya, which began on Aug. 6, forcing oil workers to gradually reduce production from Sharara which is located in Libya's south west.
A local shipping source said loading operations in Zawiya had also been affected. The tanker Dubai Beauty was due to load 750,000 bbl at Zawiya on Aug. 7, the source said.
The NOC operates Sharara in a partnership with Repsol , Total, OMV and Statoil.
The field has seen several brief shutdowns after it was reopened in December following a two-year blockade of the Sharara-Zawiya pipeline. Armed groups have frequently targeted oil facilities across Libya in recent years in order to press financial or political demands.
“The armed protesters were evacuated from the control room, pumping returned to its natural level and production is being restored,” the NOC said.
NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla, who has campaigned to end blockades, restated a plea to local factions not to disrupt oil supplies, which represent Libya’s only significant source of income.
“Personal grievances and demands cannot be resolved through inflicting harm on everyone, and closure tactics are an unacceptable negotiating method,” Sanalla was quoted as saying in the NOC statement.
Recommended Reading
CEO: Continental Adds Midland Basin Acreage, Explores Woodford, Barnett
2024-04-11 - Continental Resources is adding leases in Midland and Ector counties, Texas, as the private E&P hunts for drilling locations to explore. Continental is also testing deeper Barnett and Woodford intervals across its Permian footprint, CEO Doug Lawler said in an exclusive interview.
For Sale, Again: Oily Northern Midland’s HighPeak Energy
2024-03-08 - The E&P is looking to hitch a ride on heated, renewed Permian Basin M&A.
Iraq to Seek Bids for Oil, Gas Contracts April 27
2024-04-18 - Iraq will auction 30 new oil and gas projects in two licensing rounds distributed across the country.
Exxon Ups Mammoth Offshore Guyana Production by Another 100,000 bbl/d
2024-04-15 - Exxon Mobil, which took a final investment decision on its Whiptail development on April 12, now estimates its six offshore Guyana projects will average gross production of 1.3 MMbbl/d by 2027.
Comstock Continues Wildcatting, Drops Two Legacy Haynesville Rigs
2024-02-15 - The operator is dropping two of five rigs in its legacy East Texas and northwestern Louisiana play and continuing two north of Houston.