USA10 August, 20262 min read
Libya’s NOC Threatens Force Majeure, Halts Zawiya Refinery Over Drone Attacks
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NOC warns of force majeure and potential Zawiya refinery shutdown if drone attacks persist. Drone strikes caused a fire at Zawiya refinery's diesel tank depot.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Drone attacks threaten Zawiya
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said it could declare force majeure and completely halt operations at the Zawiya refinery if drone attacks on oil assets in the city continued, after reporting a third such attack over Sunday and Monday. Reuters reported that the latest drone targeted an oil blending and filling plant operated by the Zawiya Oil Refining Company, falling near its main oil tank and a pipeline network used to produce oils for the domestic market.
Brega Petroleum Marketing Company said on Monday that a fire broke out in a diesel tank oil depot at Libya's Zawiya refinery after the tank was struck under circumstances whose cause remains unknown. Reuters also said Zawiya refinery is around 40 km (25 miles) west of Tripoli, has a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, and is connected to the country's 300,000-bpd Sharara oilfield.
Emergency declarations and claims
NOC declared a state of extreme emergency in the area and said the tank was "directly targeted," while Reuters reported that no casualties or material damage were reported from the third drone attack. Al-Jazirah Net said NOC declared a maximum state of emergency on Monday evening in the city of Zawiya after a fuel tank collapsed and caught fire following repeated attacks on the oil complex.
Al-Jazirah Net quoted NOC saying the tank belonging to Brega Marketing Company, used for storing automotive gasoline, "was directly attacked, causing a severe fire before the tank collapsed completely." Reuters reported that there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, and authorities did not say who they believed was behind them.
What happens next for operations
Reuters said NOC warned it could declare force majeure and halt operations at the Zawiya refinery if drone attacks continued, after a Monday fire accompanied by heavy smoke broke out in a fuel tank at an oil depot at the Zawiya refinery. Reuters reported that Libya's oil ministry said the tank belonged to Brega and contained about 4.5 million litres of gasoline, and that the tank caught fire and collapsed.
Al-Jazirah Net said the head of the crisis and emergency department at NOC for Safety Authority and its spokesman, General Mohamed Ali Al-Bakoush, said the reasons behind the fire at the Zawiya refinery are not yet clear, noting that investigations into the incident are ongoing. Al-Jazirah Net also said Brega Oil Marketing Company renewed its call for all parties to halt hostilities and stay away from oil facilities, warning that targeting or approaching oil facilities could threaten the lives of citizens and workers and impact fuel supplies.