The key facts
- NOC: unidentified persons closed a valve on the Hamada — Zuara pipeline in western Libya
- The corporation warns of production and oil revenue losses and demands immediate intervention by the authorities
- In September, valve closures were already recorded on the same pipeline and at the Sharara field, with losses of $95 million
Incident in western Libya
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Thursday that unidentified persons broke into a crude oil receiving station operated by Arabian Gulf Oil Company near the refinery in Zuara and closed an isolating valve on the Hamada — Zuara pipeline, through which oil flows from the Hamada and at-Tahara fields.
Warning of losses
The corporation stated that continued closure would lead to a loss of production volumes and negatively affect oil revenues. NOC called for no interference with the operation of oil facilities and demanded that the competent authorities immediately intervene to open the valve and ensure the security of the site.
Who is responsible — unclear
The statement did not name those responsible. The agency notes that guards at oil facilities have for some time been demanding higher monthly wages as part of protests in a number of sectors.
Similar incidents in September
In September, NOC reported that a group of guards had 'illegally closed a valve' on the main loading pipeline Hamada — Zuara. At the same time, the corporation said that armed members of the Oil Facilities Guard shut a crude transport valve at the Sharara field in the country's southwest, leading to a drop in production. Losses at the time were estimated at $95 million — in a country where oil exports provide about 90% of the state budget.
