Division in Libya slows production

Libya’s Zueitina terminal has been shut again amid an effort by the east to wrest control of the country’s crude-export revenue

National Oil Company (NOC) declared force majeure at the port on 5 November after the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), ostensibly under the control of the Baida-based government, prevented a tanker from loading. Oil production slumped by about 70,000 barrels a day (b/d) to 375,000 b/d, as fields linked to Zueitina were shut in. The PFG, which is charged with protecting Libya’s energy installations, told crude buyers they must now register with the Baida branch of NOC, a rival to the established Tripoli-based NOC, and pay money into a new account in Cairo. If successful, the move would deny crucial income to the Central Bank and official NOC, decimate Tripoli’s budget and risk a profound fra