Libya Resumes Oil Production After Two-Week Shutdown

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Libya has confirmed the resumption of production at the country’s largest oil field, Al-Sharara, which accounts for 300,000 litres of Libya’s daily oil output. This comes two weeks after the NOC declared a force majeure and halted operations at the oil field.

The NOC on Sunday officially lifted the force majeure that was declared on January 7.

The shutdown had been initiated in response to protests at the southwestern oilfield, where demonstrators voiced concerns about fuel shortages and called for the rehabilitation of infrastructure and the repair of roads in the Fezzan region.

The NOC noted when it shutdown production two weeks ago that it will engage in negotiations with the protesters to resume production.

In a latest development, the Fezzan Gathering, a local group in the Oubari region, announced that they had reached an agreement with the NOC to end their protest action at the Al-Sharara oilfield.

While the NOC and the Fezzan Gathering have not disclosed the details of the accord, this agreement is expected to be a step toward restoring normalcy in the oil production activities at Al-Sharara.