Libya’s biggest oilfield Sharara resumes production

BY Libyan Express Aug 17, 2017 - 10:03

Libya’s biggest oil field started raising production as an export terminal re-opened for tanker loading.

Crude oil output at Sharara–the biggest field in Libya, which is exempt from OPEC cuts–rose to 230,000 bpd on Tuesday—a 30,000 bpd increase just since Sunday, Bloomberg reports, citing an unidentified source familiar with the issue, OilPrice reported,

In another boost to Libyan oil exports, the Zueitina oil terminal resumed loading, Merhi Abridan, head of the Zueitina workers’ union, told Bloomberg.

The Zueitina oil terminal had ceased loading cargos on Sunday, as port workers protested, demanding better working conditions, OilPrice added. .

This meant that oil coming from the fields around Zueitina was to be stored at the port for the duration of the protest, and a spike in exports would likely follow, OilPRice said.

As of Sunday, Bloomberg sources claim that Sharara’s output had fallen by 100,000 bpd over the past week, to 200,000 bpd. There had been an incident involving the theft at gunpoint of two vehicles property of Repsol, the company operating the field. Following the incident, the company advised workers to stay away from certain areas.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said that it “received on Sunday a written confirmation from Brigadier Ahmed Alal–the Commander of the forces assigned to protect and secure Al Sharara Field—that the incident had been carried out by a lone individual and the field was safe and secure.

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