A wave of fresh protests has pushed Libyan oil production to the lowest levels since January 2012, with complete stoppages of operations at key fields including the Repsol-operated 300,000-350,000 b/d Sharara field, Eni’s 100,000 b/d Feel (Elephant), and the 35,000 b/d Occidental-led Zueitina fields.
Several months of protests have largely centered on ports near to major cities. Youth demanding jobs shut down Tobruk and Zueitina ports last month, pushing output below 1mn b/d temporarily, state-owned NOC conceded at the time (MEES, 14 June). Production at Sharara stopped around 27 June as a result of protests at the fields’ Zawiya export terminal (the protests also hit Zawiya refinery). “There is nothing wrong with the field. It is just that there is nowhere to pump to. Storage is full, every bucket and pail is full,” says one source. (CONTINUED - 640 WORDS)
