Libya’s National Oil Corporation declares state of emergency, stops oil shipments

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared a state of emergency and stopped the shipment of crude oil in the Port of Az Zawiyah as a result of the cessation of production in El Sharara oil field.

The NOC said in a statement published late on Saturday night that the closure caused the loss of about 290,000 barrels daily; amounting to $19 million.

The corporation pointed out that the Public Treasury will bear the responsibility of securing the domestic market’s fuel needs as a result of the continued cessation of work at the refinery.

Libya’s El-Sharara oilfield shut down: NOC 

The Chairman of the Libyan NOC Mustafa Sanallah added that criminal activities forced the NOC to declare the state of emergency.

According to the statement, Sanallah said that such deliberate attempts aimed at sabotaging pipelines and disrupting production not only harm national revenues, but also disrupt the electricity supply to citizens.

Sanallah pointed out that the security staff and engineers of the NOC and Akakus Oil Operation Company are investigating this incident and doing their best to resume operations at the oil field, adding that it is committed to prosecuting those involved in this heinous act.