Libya Resuming Oil Exports from Some Major Ports
Local Editor
Libya is resuming oil exports from some of its main ports which forces led by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar seized in recent days and has lifted related "force majeuere" contractual clauses, the National Oil Corporation [NOC] said on Thursday.
The North African nation is highly dependent on hydrocarbon revenues and needs oil exports to resume to save its economy from collapse. Conflict since Libya's 2011 uprising has reduced its oil output to a fraction of the 1.6 million barrels per day the OPEC member once produced.
"Exports will resume immediately from Zueitina and Ras Lanuf, and will continue at Brega ... exports will resume from Es Sider as soon as possible," NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said.
He said Libya's UN-backed government in Tripoli and a parliament based in eastern Libya both backed reopening the ports which have been controlled by forces lead by Haftar since Sept 11-12.
Haftar has been an outspoken opponent of the Government of National Accord [GNA] in Tripoli, and his seizure of the four ports from a rival force aligned with the GNA had raised fears of fresh conflict over Libya's oil resources.
"NOC is in charge of the ports," Sanalla said on Thursday, a day after visiting Zueitina. "They are secure, and we have been in contact with our foreign commercial partners."
A Reuters' reporter at Zueitina saw large numbers of military vehicles and men belonging to a guard force allied to Haftar's Libyan National Army [LNA].
Western powers had condemned Haftar's seizure of the ports and had said they were ready to prevent any exports attempted outside the GNA's authority.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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