Conflict cripples Libya's oil sector
The latest battle for Libya’s key oil ports—the fourth in as many years—leaves vital infrastructure destroyed and the country’s production recovery in jeopardy
Fighting began on 14 June when warlord Ibrahim Jathran led his grandly named but poorly equipped militia, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), in an attack that seized Es Sider, Libya's largest export terminal, and nearby Ras Lanuf, its largest refinery. Jathran's militia were originally formed to guard the ports, which take exports from the Sirte Basin, home to two-thirds of Libya's production. But from 2013, they blockaded the terminals demanding huge payments. The blockade ended in September 2016 when Khalifa Hafter's Libya National Army (LNA) seized them, opening them for business. Since that capture, Libya's oil production has jumped from 220,000 barrels a day to hit 1m b/d in June las
Also in this section
14 May 2024
But there is still plenty of appetite for the country’s LNG in the Asia-Pacific region
14 May 2024
The former CEO of Pioneer, Scott Sheffield, has opened a can of worms through his association with OPEC+ and its market management strategy
13 May 2024
OPEC+ has huge amounts of spare capacity amid a tightening market, but nothing can be taken for granted given unclear economic trajectories and geopolitical unrest
13 May 2024
But optimism about island nation checked by competition around African upstream investment and history of false dawns