Tripoli – AFP
The National Oil Corporation of Libya announced, on Sunday, the suspension of production in the El Feel oil field in the south of the country, following “attempts to arbitrarily close”, in light of the political chaos.
The NOC said in a statement posted on its official website: “The El Feel field was subjected to arbitrary closure attempts, due to the entry of a group of individuals and the prevention of users from continuing production, so production stopped completely on Sunday.”
The corporation indicated that it was forced to “declare a state of force majeure on Mellitah crude, until further notice.”
At the conclusion of its statement, the Corporation called for the language of reason to prevail, and to distance the oil sector from conflicts and the consequences of random closures over the past years.
The declaration of “force majeure” represents a “temporary” suspension of work, and a protection provided by law to the corporation from facing legal liability resulting from non-fulfillment of foreign oil contracts, due to events beyond the control of the contracting parties.
The El Feel field is located in the oil-rich Murzuq basin in southern Libya, 750 km southwest of Tripoli. The National Oil Corporation manages the field, which produces 70,000 barrels per day in partnership with the Italian company Eni.
In addition to crude oil, the El Feel field transports its gas supplies to the Mellitah Oil and Gas Company complex west of Tripoli, which is operated by the Italian energy company Eni in partnership with Libya.
The complex itself transports gas supplies to Italy via a huge offshore pipeline connecting it with Libya.
Libya’s oil production is regarding 1.2 million barrels per day, according to the NOC.
The closures of oil fields and ports have been repeated over the past years, due to labor protests, security threats, or even political disputes, which have caused losses of more than $100 billion, according to the Central Bank of Libya.
