Libya's NOC declares force majeure after Zawiya refinery severely damaged
Business
The NOC said a number of reservoirs at the Zawiya refinery were severely damaged early on Sunday
BENGHAZI (Reuters) – Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Sunday it had declared force majeure after a number of reservoirs at the Zawiya refinery were severely damaged early on Sunday due to ongoing clashes between armed groups in its vicinity.
AFP reported in August this year that Zawiya oil refinery complex in the western city of its capital Tripoli, was severely damaged due to skirmishes.
The NOC said "Those involved held no regard for the lives of workers at the site."
Eight oil storage tanks and five other tanks for oil and chemical products had been leaking while the electrical transformer of the power supply system was also knocked out in fighting on August 13, 2024.
Libya's oil sector, the country's only vital income, has been disrupted by unrest since the falling of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi a decade ago.
Zawiya city, some 40 km (25 miles) in west of Tripoli, is the home of Libya's biggest functioning refinery. It is connected to Sharara field, which has a capacity of around 300,000 bpd.
Since 2014, Libya has been split in two, with opposing governments located in the east and west of the country. A UN-backed administration known as the Government of National Unity, or GNU, is based in Tripoli in the west, and its rival, known as the House of Representatives, is based in the east, in Tobruk.
