The key facts

  • An armed group closed a valve on the Hamada–Zawiya pipeline in the Riyayna area; pumping was halted on October 29 at around 00:30 local time
  • NOC warns of a possible loss of 15,000 barrels of oil per day if the closure is prolonged
  • This is the second incident on the same pipeline since October 22; in September, a shutdown at the Sharara field cost $95 million

Pumping halted due to a closed valve

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Friday that an armed group had closed a valve on the main pipeline linking the western Hamada field with the Zawiya refinery — according to the corporation, this happened in the Riyayna area. The sudden forced closure caused a sharp rise in operating pressure, and technical teams stopped pumping at around 00:30 at night (10:30 GMT on Thursday) to protect the pipeline and production facilities. Oil supplies from the fields connected to the pipeline, including Hamada and Tahar, were suspended. Anadolu reported this.

What is at risk and what NOC demands

The 18-inch pipeline is one of the main supply lines of crude oil to the Zawiya refinery. NOC warned that if the closure continues, the refinery will lose 15,000 barrels per day, and the shutdown itself poses a direct threat to oil facilities and the continuity of supplies, with possible consequences for Libya's economy. The corporation condemned the closure and called on the authorities, primarily the Oil Facilities Guard, to ensure the security of the pipeline, open the valve and resume pumping, as well as to protect oil facilities and transport lines from attacks that threaten production stability.

A series of shutdowns in recent weeks

The incident repeats the situation of October 22, when, according to NOC, armed men closed a valve on the same Hamada–Zawiya pipeline. Earlier, on September 21, the corporation reported that armed members of the Oil Facilities Guard had closed a valve at the Sharara field in the country's southwest, leading to a sharp drop in output at one of Libya's largest fields; NOC later estimated the damage from that shutdown at $95 million. The outlet also notes that oil facility guards have long been demanding higher monthly salaries amid similar protests by workers in a number of industries in Libya.