Libya says attacks on 2 key oil terminals repelled

The American Special Envoy to Libya, Jonathan Winer, said that the United States supports re-exporting the Libyan oil as long as the Presidential Council (PC) of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli will get the oil revenues.

Tripoli—Libyas National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced Thursday that it had lifted force majeure at all its oil ports and that oil exports are resuming.

He also called on all the fighting forces in the oil crescent region to avoid damaging the infrastructure of the facilities, which are for all Libyans.

A Haftar spokesman, Mohamad Ibset, said earlier that guards loyal to the GNA had attacked.

“Our forces launched a surprise attack on forces of Khalifa Hafter in the oil crescent”, Ali al-Hasi, spokesman for the so-called Petroleum Facilities Guard, told Anadolu Agency.

But he said that would depend on the NOC receiving new funds, and on the ports and blockaded pipelines being opened and remaining open.

Both were arranged before the LNA seized control of the ports, the official said.

A tanker is ready to load over 600,000 barrels of oil at the Ras Lanuf terminal, the first to arrive at this Libyan port since 2014, Reuters reported on Thursday, a sign that Libya is ready to inject thousands of barrels of oil per day into the market, exacerbating the global oil glut.

There are reports that an oil storage tank in Sidra has engulfed in flames due to the clashes.

The unity government has been working in Tripoli since March, but has struggled to assert its control over the country, which with an estimated 48 billion barrels holds Africa’s largest oil reserves.

The GNA, created a year ago as a UN-brokered power-sharing government, still needs a vote of confidence from the rival parliament based in the east.

Haftar is the commander of troops loyal to a rival administration based in Tobruk in eastern Libya.

On Wednesday the head of the eastern parliament promoted him from general to marshal.

“Our forces are using heavy artillery to target the positions where Daesh holdouts are cowering”, they said.

More than 450 members of the loyalist forces, who are based mainly in the western city of Misurata, have been killed and about 2,500 wounded since the operation began in May. There were no casualty figures for Jathran’s forces.

Italy has said it will set up a military field hospital in Misrata, following a request from the GNA.