Advertisement
Democracy in Africa
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 235
- next ›
Corruption in Africa
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 83
- next ›
Libya Descending
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 159
- next ›
Congo, Perpetual Crises
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 100
- next ›
Libya Says Marsa Al Hariga Oil Port Resumes Full Operations
By Feras Bosalum and Julia Payne
19/08/2013
TRIPOLI/LONDON (Reuters) - Libya's Marsa al Hariga port resumed full operations on Monday and is ready to export following worker strikes, a spokesman for the oil ministry said on Monday.
The 110,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) port has been mostly shut for the last three weeks due to worker protests, including those working for operator Arabian Gulf Oil Co, with only some fuel shipments for domestic use leaving the terminal.
Pay strikes and other protests at Libya's two largest ports as well as oilfields have pushed crude oil output and exports to the lowest levels since the civil war that ousted Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
An oil official said Edris Abokhamada, who became the new head of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) at the start of August, replacing Rasheed Al Sabri, played a part in the reopening.
"(He) succeeded to defuse the strike at Tobruk and Marsa al Hariga and now he's working on Zueitina," one senior Libyan oil official told Reuters.
The PFG operates under the Defence Ministry to protect oil installations, but only about 2,000 of its 15,000 members have had training from the military.
But there was scepticism in the market given false restarts last week at other ports.
"We need to see a vessel berth and load," one trader said, who has a tanker waiting nearby.
A spokesman for the PFG also said that the port was operational and that there was a counter-movement by some oil workers, including at a neighbouring port, who were pledging allegiance to the government.
"We received a letter from employees at the Brega port saying they are against the port closures and will work under the government," the PFG spokesman said.
Add new comment