Ongoing Libya fighting will cost billions in lost oil revenues

An oil rig is shown in this file photo.

JOHANNESBURG – Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) has warned that the ongoing fighting that erupted last week in the country’s eastern oil crescent will cost Libya ‘‘billions’’ in lost oil revenues.

The NOC confirmed the loss of storage tanks 2 and 12 at the Ras Lanuf port terminal following Thursday’s ‘‘armed assault by militia’’ in the Oil Crescent, an assault led by former Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) local commander Ibrahim Jadran, the Libya Herald reported.

The fighting and destruction resulted in a 400,000-barrel reduction of crude oil storage capacity (from 950,000 barrels to 550,000 barrels).

Ras Lanuf had operated five crude oil storage tanks prior to Jadran’s militia assault.

Now the damage inflicted in tank 2 means that leaking oil could spread the blaze to reservoirs 1, 6 and 3.

During the militia attack one oil employee was shot and a number of other employees were robbed by a number of ‘‘African armed mercenaries fighting alongside the Jadran militia’’.

The other employees were evacuated to safety while the Libyan Red Crescent reports that 28 dead bodies have been recovered from the scene of the fighting.

– African News Agency (ANA)

Source: iol.co.za