Libya Lifts Force Majeure On All Oil Exports - OILPRICE.COM

Jul 10, 2020, 10:00 AM CDT

Charles Kennedy

After six months of port blockades and no exports, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Friday that it lifted force majeure on all oil exports from Libya, potentially giving OPEC+ a headache in the coming months as the group continues to withhold supply from the market.

The first vessel to load crude oil from Libya is the Kriti Bastion from Es Sider oil port, NOC said today, but noted that the oil production increase in the country “will take a long time due to the significant damage to reservoirs and infrastructure caused by the illegal blockade imposed on January 17.”

Libya oil chief warns output to drop every day as ports halted - WORLD OIL

JULY/9/2018
SALMA EL WARDANY

CAIRO (Bloomberg) -- Libya’s oil output will keep dropping day by day if major ports remain closed after clashes last month led to a political deadlock, the head of the country’s state energy producer said.

“Today, production is 527,000 bpd, tomorrow it will be lower, and after tomorrow it will be even lower and everyday it will keep falling,” Mustafa Sanalla, chairman of the Tripoli-based National Oil, said in a video statement posted on the company’s Facebook page. The nation was producing more than twice that amount before fighting in February forced an oil field in western Libya to shut down, he said.

Sanalla urged Khalifa Haftar, an army commander in the politically divided nation’s east, to transfer control of the closed oil ports to the NOC in Tripoli.

Libya State Oil Co. confident eastern rival can't ship crude - WORLD OIL

JUNE/28/2018

CAIRO (Bloomberg) -- The chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corp. in Tripoli said he’s confident that the U.S. and other world powers would help block authorities in eastern Libya from exporting any crude after militia captured key ports there.

"Catastrophic Damage" in Fighting at Ras Lanuf Terminal - THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

Tank roof burns, Ras Lanuf, June 16 (National Oil Company)

2018-06-21 14:32:43Amer Hammuda

On Wednesday, Libya's National Oil Corporation reported "catastrophic damage" to two of the five tanks at the Ras Lanuf oil terminal due to fighting between militia groups.

The damage resulted in a 400,000-barrel reduction in crude oil storage capacity (from 950,000 barrels to 550,000 barrels), and the NOC said that Tank 2 is in danger of leaking and spreading the fire to the three surviving tanks. Ras Lanuf's terminal once had about a dozen tanks, but the long series of conflicts since the end of the Gaddafi era have destroyed all but a few.

The so-called Petroleum Facilities Guard militia attacked the terminals at Ras Lanuf and Es Sider on June 14. The group controlled the terminals until last year, when they were seized from by forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who controls the eastern half of Libya. The attack forced the NOC to evacuate employees, declare force majeure and suspend loadings, cutting Libya's daily oil export volume in half.

One employee was shot and injured during the attack on the terminal, and several more were robbed, NOC reported. All others were evacuated safely.

Attack shuts major Libyan oil ports, slashing production - INDIA TIMES / REUTERS

REUTERS | June 15, 2018, 07:45 IST

The major Libyan oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Es Sider were closed and evacuated on Thursday after armed brigades opposed to the powerful eastern commander Khalifa Haftar stormed them, causing a production loss of 240,000 barrels per day (bpd).

At least one storage tank at Ras Lanuf terminal was set alight following the early morning attack, an engineer told Reuters. Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared force majeure on loadings from both terminals.

The clashes between forces loyal to Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) and rival armed groups continued throughout the day south of Ras Lanuf, where the LNA was targeting its opponents with air strikes, local sources said.

Military sources said the LNA had withdrawn from both ports.

WoodMac: What's behind the boost in Libya's oil production? - WORLD OIL

OCTOBER/20/2017

EDINBURGH -- Libya's oil production has increased steeply from August 2016’s low point of below 300,000 bpd to around 850,000 bpd at present, passing the 1-MMbpd barrier in July. But Wood Mackenzie believes Libya may now be reaching its near-term production limits and future growth will be gradual.

Libyan oil output rises to 700,000 barrels per day after port fighting ends: NOC - REUTERS

A dog walks near Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Company in Ras Lanuf,
Libya, March 16, 2017 - REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori

Tunis, Thu Mar 23, 2017 | 4:53am EDT
Aidan Lewis

Libya's oil production has reached 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Wednesday, recovering from a drop earlier this month caused by fighting at two key oil ports.

"We are working very hard to reach 800,000 barrels by the end of April 2017, and, God willing, we will reach 1.1 million barrels next August," NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla was quoted as saying in a statement.

The NOC said in a separate statement it hoped to produce 55,000 bpd in the coming weeks from the Abu Attifel and Rimal fields, which are currently closed for maintenance.

Libya's deepening split finds battleground at oil terminals - EGYPT INDEPENDENT

Sun, 12/03/2017 - 10:27

Hundreds if not thousands of armed men are converging on Libya's main oil shipping terminals, which the rival powers in the country's east and west are fighting to control in a battle being watched by global oil markets.

The struggle for the Ras Lanuf refinery and nearby Sidr depot threatens to spiral into an all-out conflict between east and west. Already, it has seen the bloodiest fighting yet between the two camps: around 40 troops from the east were killed over four days as militias backed by western factions stormed the area last Friday, losing a handful of casualties.

Now forces from the east loyal to military strongman Khalifa Hafter are massing nearby, threatening a new assault to wrest back the facilities, which are nominally in the hands of the Tripoli government.

National Dialogue “only way out of political stalemate in Libya” Egypt insists after LNA oil crescent reverse - LIBYA HERALD

Tunis, 6 March 2017

Egypt has insisted that dialogue is the only way Libya can extract itself from the current political crisis. Resuming the UN-brokered Libya Dialogue was of critical importance and would help safeguard the interests of its people, Egypt’s National Committee on Libya said stated today.

Libya, it added, had an “historic opportunity” to reach a political consensus bereft of outside interference to end the suffering of its people and ensure stability.

The committee is headed by Egypt’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Mahmoud Hegazy.

Libyan strongman's forces lose control of key oil export terminal - FRANCE24

2017-March-04

The forces of eastern Libya's military strongman Khalifa Haftar have lost control of a key oil export terminal they had seized last year, a spokesman conceded on Saturday.

Colonel Ahmad al-Mismari said that the rival forces had overrun the main airfield in the oil port of Ras Lanuf and identified them as Islamists of the Benghazi Defence Brigades.

An array of forces, most of them loyal to the UN-backed government in Tripoli, have been involved in efforts to oust Haftar from the oil ports, whose seizure enabled him to pose a major challenge to its authority.

But the Tripoli government on Friday evening denied any involvement in the renewed offensive on the oil ports, condemning it as a "military escalation".

The forces involved in the latest assault are a mixture of Islamist militias, eastern tribes opposed to Haftar and members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard which controlled the ports before Haftar's takeover.

Libya: NOC evacuates staff after clashes near oil ports, says work continues at Es-Sider - ECOFIN AGENCY

Thursday, 08 December 2016 - 09:32Anita Fatunji

Following reports of military fights close to major oil ports, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) has announced that it has withdrawn non-essential workers from the Es Sider (aka Al-Sidra) port.

According to NOC, there are no plans to suspend any loadings at the port.

The company added that it had held talks meetings with affiliates and had commenced emergency procedures close to the area where the fight is taking place, Reuters reports.

“We have not declared force majeure on oil loadings pending further information, but we are monitoring the situation closely,” the company said in a statement.

This comes as sources from the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) forces said that they, alongside the forces of the Government of National Accord Defense Ministry have taken control of the key of Es Sider oil terminal and are moving towards Ras Lanuf.

Libyan oil production shows signs of continued gains: Wood Mac - WORLD OIL

11/23/2016

LONDON -- Wood Mackenzie's latest study on Libya's oil production shows the country's output has doubled from 300,000 bopd in early September to close to 600,000 bopd today, adding to the global oil supply glut.

Although an OPEC member, Libya's output has fallen so drastically it won't be bound by any production restrictions. The country will seek to recover its lost market share, notably in southern Europe where refineries prize its light, sweet blends.

"Libya's oil production increases have occurred despite the absence of a political agreement between competing administrations, and an ongoing security vacuum," said Martijn Murphy, research manager at Wood Mackenzie.

Libya: Crude oil production reached more than 75,000 bpd from the Waha and Samah fields - Waha Oil Co - ECOFIN AGENCY

Tuesday, 22 November 2016 - 08:18
Anita Fatunji

In Libya, Waha Oil Co has said that its production has reached over 75,000 barrels per day (bpd) through the Waha and Samah fields and it is expected to increase further once the Jalu field comes online.

Output at the Waha field, resumed last month after several blocked ports were reopened and exports from the field, is being directed through the Ras Lanuf terminal, while renovation works are being carried out at the Es Sider terminal. Both ports were damaged by fighting.

Production has been crippled for years by an on and off blockade of the Libya’s largest export terminals, militant attacks by groups including Islamic State and the lack of a united government. According to Waha Oil Co, it expected output to increase when work at the port and pipelines from Jalu field to the Waha field was completed. The company however did not say when that might happen.

Libya: OPEC gives go ahead to double oil production - ECOFIN AGENCY

Thursday, 17 November 2016 - 09:14Anita Fatunji

(Ecofin Agency) - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has given Libya the green light to increase its crude oil export regardless of a deal being set up to cut production to manage the oversupply of crude oil and bolster prices.

According to the chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), Mustafa Sanalla, Libya’s production currently stands at 600,000 barrels of oil per day and has Africa’s largest crude oil reserves.

He added that the goal is to increase oil production to 900,000 barrels per day by the end of this year and target 1.1 million barrels of oil per day in 2017.

Sanalla said Libya is heading toward economic revival but ongoing clashes still put oil facilities at risk of being attacked again.

Libya’s largest oil port may be ready next week for shipments - WORLD OIL / BLOOMBERG

By SALEH SARRAR, HATEM MOHAREB, SALMA EL WARDANY on 11/9/2016

TRIPOLI, Libya (Bloomberg) -- Libya’s largest oil export terminal may re-open as early as next week in a move that would provide relief for the cash-strapped country holding Africa’s largest crude reserves.

Tankers may be able to load at Es Sider port by next week as maintenance work at the terminal is almost complete, a National Oil Corp. official said by phone on Tuesday, asking not to be identified because he’s not authorized to speak with news media. Es Sider hasn’t exported crude since force majeure, a legal status protecting a party from liability if it can’t fulfill a contract for reasons beyond its control, was declared on loadings almost two years ago.

Libya currently produces 660,000 bopd, the official said. This compares with production of about 1.6 MMbopd before the 2011 uprising that ousted longtime leader Moammar Al Qaddafi. Output withered after international oil companies withdrew amid the conflict between rival governments and armed groups over the nation’s oil fields, ports and pipelines.

Libya resumes output from Waha oilfield - ECOFIN AGENCY

Wednesday, 19 October 2016 - 09:23, by Anita Fatunji

(Ecofin Agency) - Libya has recommenced production from the Waha oil field bringing the country’s total production to 580,000 barrels per day, a senior Libyan oil official revealed.

According to the official, oil output from the field is being redirected to the Ras Lanuf export terminal rather than the usual Es Sider port due to limited storage.The Waha field, which is operated by the Waha Oil Company, is one of the key contributors for the major Es Sider export grade. It is the first Es Sider field to resume operation, producing 50,000 bpd as at Tuesday.

Output from the field was around 330,000 bpd before the war in 2011, but some infrastructure had been damaged and capacity was reduced.The Es Sider port currently has only a storage capacity of 1.2 million barrels compared to the 5 million barrels level before the war. The Es Sider grade will therefore be divided between Ras Lanuf and Es Sider as output increases.

Libya’s oil production set to reach three-year high by December - WORLD OIL

By NAYLA RAZZOUK on 10/12/2016

ISTANBUL (Bloomberg) -- Libya’s oil production is set to reach a three-year high by December, as fields restart and ports reopen after five years of armed conflict crippled sales.

Output is now 540,000 bopd and will reach 900,000 bopd by the end of the year, Libya’s National Oil Corp. Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said Wednesday in Istanbul. That would be the highest production since June 2013, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Libya, with Africa’s largest crude reserves, has increased oil output after the NOC reached an agreement last month with Khalifa Haftar, commander of the armed forces controlling key oil ports. Shipments were able to resume from ports including Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitana, leading Germany’s Wintershall AG to resume output in As Sarah oil field on Sept. 16.

Libya: First crude export cargo leaves Zueitina oil terminal, en route to China - ECOFIN AGENCY

Friday, 07 October 2016 - 09:17Anita Fatunji

(Ecofin Agency) - For the first time since late last year, an oil tanker loaded crude export cargo at Libya’s Zueitina oil terminal, a port official revealed.

According to the port official, the Ionic Anassa oil tanker loaded 800,000 barrels of oil for export to China.

Zueitina is one of the three formerly blocked ports that reopened in September, following the seizure of the terminals by Dignity Operation forces led by Khalifa Haftar.

The reopening of the Zueitina, Ras Lanuf and Es Sider ports has helped in boosting Libya’s oil production, which was reduced to a quarter of the 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) being produced before the 2011 uprising.

Libya Ramps Up Crude Exports as Ports Reopen for First Time Since 2014 - GCAPTAIN / BLOOMBERG

Crude Oil Tanker 'Syra' (600.000 bbl capacity)

September 20, 2016 by Bloomberg

By Saleh Sarrar and Hatem Mohareb

(Bloomberg) — Libya boosted crude production by more than 70 percent since August as some oil fields resumed output and export terminals in the OPEC country reopened for their first overseas loadings in two years.

The North African nation’s crude output rose to 450,000 barrels a day after work resumed at some oil fields, Ibrahim Al-Awami, head of oil measurement department at state-run National Oil Corp., said by phone on Tuesday. Armed conflicts and political disputes have hobbled the country’s production, which slid to 260,000 barrels a day last month, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Libyan Unity Prime Minister Visits Egypt After Oil Exports Resume - VoA

September 16, 2016 7:52 PM
Edward Yeranian

CAIRO — Libya has resumed oil exports for the first time since military forces under the command of army General Khalifa Haftar, loyal to the parliament in Tobruk, recaptured oil installations west of Benghazi this past week.

Meanwhile, Fayez Saraj, who heads Libya’s U.N.-brokered national unity government, met in Cairo with the head of the Tobruk-based parliament, Aquelah Saleh, according to Arab and Egyptian media. The men reportedly have been trying to cobble together an agreement on a new government acceptable to rival political factions.

Parliament Speaker Saleh has repeatedly insisted on the need for a limited-size government acceptable to all parties. The Tobruk parliament refused to approve a unity government, composed of 30 ministers, earlier this year.