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 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.

Natural gas exported to Italy from Libya after four year halt - THE LIBYA OBSERVER

May 24, 2018 - 13:00
Housam Najjair

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) shipped on Wednesday its first quantity of propane gas from the Zueitina port to Italy, estimated at approximately 61,761 barrels.

The NOC said in a statement that the shipment is the first of its kind to Italy in four years, since the gas plant at the port of Zueitina was shut down causing gas exports to Italy being halted.

Libya is considered to be one of the largest exporters of natural gas to Italy through Italy's oil giant Eni, which invests in Libya.

Shell loads oil in Libya for first time in five years - WORLD OIL / BLOOMBERG

AUGUST/20/2017
GRANT SMITH AND SALMA EL WARDANY

LONDON and CAIRO (Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the world’s largest oil trader, is said to have loaded its first crude from Libya in five years over the weekend, adding to evidence of the OPEC nation’s comeback.

The cargo on Saturday is for 600,000 bbl of crude from the Zueitina port, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the information is private. A Shell spokesperson declined to comment on the shipment, but said the company’s Shell International Trading & Shipping “has a history marketing Libyan crudes. We welcome new business opportunities with Libya’s National Oil Corp.”

Mustafa Sanalla, chairman of the NOC, didn’t answer phone calls seeking comment.

Libya Gets Better at Keeping Oil Flowing as Industry Stabilizes - RIGZONE / BLOOMBERG

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Salma El Wardany

Libya's getting better at resolving stoppages in its oil industry, underpinning a growing perception that the OPEC member is closer to becoming a stable producer again.
(Bloomberg) -- Libya’s getting better at resolving stoppages in its oil industry, underpinning a growing perception that the OPEC member is closer to becoming a stable producer again.

That’s because of the duration of the incidents. While in prior years protests could shutter fields for months and years, now the stoppages are being resolved within days and barely hindering flows. Sharara, Libya’s biggest field, had several short disruptions this year, including two this month, after being closed for more than two years. Mustafa Sanalla, chairman of state-run National Oil Corp., was quick to visit Sharara this week to resolve the latest dispute, offering to revise security measures.

Wintershall says in talks with Libya to resolve oil export dispute - HYDROCARBON PROCESSING / REUTERS

May 10/2017
Reporting by Aidan Lewis; Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in London and Vera Eckert in Frankfurt; Editing by Susan Thomas and Greg Mahlich

TUNIS (Reuters) -- Libya's oil production is running at above 800,000 bpd for the first time since 2014, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Wednesday, but a commercial dispute with German oil firm Wintershall has shut in a further 160,000 bpd.

Libya's output could reach between 1.1 MMbpd and 1.2 MMbpd if political obstacles were removed, the NOC said in a statement.

"We are able to produce an average of 1.1 MMbpd to 1.2 MMbpd over the rest of this year, but for this to happen our oil must flow freely. A national effort is required," NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said.

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: 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 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’s oil output nudges higher as Wintershall resumes production - WORLD OIL

Ionic Anassa is due to arrive at Zueitina on Oct. 3 2016

By TAGHREED ALMADANI, GRANT SMITH AND LAURA HURST on 9/28/2016

DUBAI (Bloomberg) -- Libya, struggling to revive its energy industry after five years of armed conflict, restarted production at an eastern oil field and was poised to export crude from the port of Zueitina for the first time since November.

Germany’s Wintershall AG began pumping at Concession 96 in As Sarah field on Sept. 16, and is producing 35,000 bpd, a company official said Wednesday in an emailed response to questions. Wintershall restarted production at the request of Libya’s National Oil Corp. (NOC) and will send oil from the field to Zueitina for export, the official said.

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.

Libya's oil war starts - PETROLEUM ECONOMIST

Chris Stephen, Tunis
14 September 2016

The east's capture of four ports gives it a huge victory in the battle for the country. Oil exports may rise and the conflict could deepen
The opening round of Libya's long-anticipated oil war began this week with the seizure of four key oil ports by eastern general Khalifa Haftar. So comprehensive was the victory that it may also prove to be the closing round.

In the aptly named Operation Surprise Lightning launched on the morning of 11 September, Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), loyal to the elected House of Representatives (HoR) parliament in Tobruk, struck at four terminals simultaneously.

Funding lapses blamed for Libyan output woes - OIL & GAS JOURNAL

HOUSTON, Aug. 31
08/31/2016
By OGJ editors

Libya’s reconstituted government is receiving blame for failure of oil production to recover from a slump caused by civil war and for the related loss of income.

The Petroleum Facilities Guard said it will close Gulf and Al Wafa oil fields in southern Libya because it hasn’t been paid for security services, Reuters reported.

The group earlier reached an agreement with the Presidency Council to open the Ras Lanuf, Es Sidra, and Zuetina terminals, but Reuters said the facilities remain closed (OGJ Online, Aug. 1, 2016).

The security force had claimed to be blockading the terminals to resist corruption and illicit oil sales. As part of the agreement to reopen the ports, it was to receive funds said to be overdue salary payments.

NATO allies welcome Libyan progress - UPI

File photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | Licensed Photo

Five members of the alliance have expressed recent concern about the security of Libya's oil wealth.

By Daniel J. Graeber | Aug. 18, 2016 at 6:50 AM

TRIPOLI, Libya, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Members of the NATO alliance said they welcomed Libyan investment board actions as a step toward ensuring authority over the nation's oil wealth.

The governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States issued a joint statement welcoming the formation of an interim five-member steering committee for the Libyan Investment Authority.

Reopening Libya oil ports is newly unified NOC’s ‘top’ priority - WORLD OIL

By SALMA EL WARDANY on 7/11/2016

TRIPOLI (Bloomberg) -- Libya’s state crude producer is seeking to reopen oil ports and restore crude output as the fractured OPEC nation struggles to reunite after five years of civil strife, according to its chairman.

Four ports accounting for about 860,000 bpd in crude exporting capacity have been shut due to political turmoil and fighting. Libya now produces a fraction of the 1.6 MMbopd that it pumped before the toppling of ruler Moammar Al Qaddafi in 2011. A July 2 deal uniting the National Oil Corp.’s rival administrations enables the company to focus on reviving Libya’s crippled oil industry, Chairman Sanalla Ibrahim said.