Fuel Tankers Diverted after Gunmen Attack on Al-Zawiya Depot, Libya

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) has diverted fuel tanker vessels from Al-Zawiya to Tripoli after an armed attack by gunmen on its Al-Zawiya oil storage depot on Monday, September 18.

NOC said that due to the attack by an “armed militia”, the Line 16 from Al-Zawiya to Tripoli was forced to stop pumping.

“The NOC response is designed to ensure that adequate petroleum products are available in Tripoli and that supplies of gasoline to Greater Tripoli and the Western Mountain cities are maintained,” the oil company said.

NOC added that it would pursue legal measures against “the blockaders”, noting that no concessions will be made.

Libya has been engulfed in military conflicts since the 2011 uprising, which sprung the creation of two opposing governments that have been fighting to gain control of the country’s oil infrastructure.

One of most recent episodes of military conflict saw the two opposing forces fight to gain control over the country’s oil ports.

Namely, in March, East Libyan forces managed to regain control of two major oil ports, Es Sidra and Ras Lanuf, from the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB).

In May 2017, representatives of the Tripoli-based and Beyda governments reached a deal to allow for the continuation of oil shipments from the country’s Marsa El Hariga port.

The key argument for closing the deal was to “avoid damage to pipelines, avert a financial crisis, and ensure power supplies are not interrupted further,” Reuters sources said.