Armed Group Chokes Libya’s Hamada–Zawiya Crude Pipeline for the Second Time in a Week, Putting 15,000 Barrels a Day on the Line
An armed group has shut a valve on the main pipeline carrying crude from Libya’s western Hamada field to the Zawiya refinery, forcing a halt in pumping and cutting off supplies from the fields connected to the line, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Friday.
The NOC said it received a report that the group had closed the main Hamada pipeline valve in the Riyayna area. The 18-inch line is one of the main routes supplying the Zawiya refinery and links the Hamada fields, as well as the Tahara field, to the plant. The sudden, forced closure caused a sharp rise in operating pressure, and technical teams halted pumping on Thursday to protect the pipeline and production facilities.
If the closure drags on, the NOC warned, 15,000 barrels per day of crude destined for the refinery would be lost. It described the stoppage as a direct threat to oil facilities and to the continuity of crude supplies to the refinery, with potential repercussions for Libya’s economy.
The corporation condemned the closure and urged the relevant authorities, particularly the Petroleum Facilities Guard, to secure the pipeline, reopen the valve and let pumping resume as soon as possible. It also called for oil installations and transport lines to be protected from attacks that could threaten production stability and Libya’s oil resources.
The shutdown follows a similar closure on Oct. 22, when armed men shut a valve on the same Hamada–Zawiya line, which carries oil produced from the Hamada and Tahara fields. On Sept. 21, armed members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard closed a crude valve at the Sharara field in southwestern Libya, sharply cutting output at one of the country’s major oilfields. The NOC later put the losses from the Sharara disruption at $95 million.
Petroleum facility guards have long demanded higher monthly salaries, amid similar protests by workers in several sectors in Libya.
Source: aa.com.tr
