.
"The
closure will lower the OPEC member's oil production, last reported at
around 800,000 barrels per day, by at least 200,000 bpd."...
11/6/14, "Gunmen, possibly Islamists, take over Libya's major oilfield," Reuters, Benghazi/Tunis, via Jerusalem Post
"Gunmen seized Libya's major El Sharara oilfield, looting equipment and shooting as frightened workers sought shelter, oil
sources said on Wednesday, in another blow to the country's oil
industry which has been subjected to protests and militia blockades.
It
was unclear exactly what happened at the field, which at maximum
capacity produces about 340,000 barrels per day. It is Libya's biggest
operational field, located in the remote south where rival tribes have
clashed since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted three years ago.
The
closure is a blow to government efforts to keep oil production isolated
from the spreading chaos in the North African country, where two prime
ministers, parliaments and army chiefs of staff compete for control.
The
closure will lower the OPEC member's oil production, last reported at
around 800,000 barrels per day, by at least 200,000 bpd.
The
field produced at least 200,000 bpd before the shutdown, the sources
said. It had been running below capacity as some wells had been lost due
to previous closures by local people in the past 12 months.
The
closure will have an impact on the 120,000 bpd-Zawiya refinery, which is
fed by El Sharara and supplies the capital with fuel products.
A
source in the state oil security force said the management had shut
down production after gunmen with heavy weapons stormed the field late
on Tuesday, wounding 13 workers.
An oil worker at the field said
staff there had also been shooting on Wednesday and some workers had
sought shelter inside company buildings. The facility is operated by
Libya's state oil company and Spain's Repsol.
The oil security
force said the attackers belonged to an Islamist group, while the online
magazine Libya Herald said they were supporters of an armed group that
had seized the capital Tripoli in August." via Lucianne
.
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