Libya: Two fields shut down, NOC threatens force majeure

The Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) suspended operations at the Hamada and Tahara fields, as well as at a pumping station, on Tuesday, September 15, following the closure of a valve on the main Hamada-Zawiya pipeline by members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard.

The NOC warns that it may declare force majeure if the disruption continues or escalates. The guard responsible for protecting oil facilities demands that its financial and administrative management come under the control of the NOC rather than the Ministry of Defense.

According to Reuters, members of the PFG have also threatened to shut down the Wafa, Al-Khamsa, and El Feel fields if their demands are not met within a week. A declaration of force majeure would allow the NOC to suspend certain contractual obligations when deliveries can no longer be guaranteed.

This situation is critical for Libya, whose public revenues remain heavily reliant on hydrocarbons and whose oil facilities have already experienced several interruptions this year. The movement gained momentum on Sunday at the Zawiya refinery, where members of the same guard blocked the main entrance to protest their financial and administrative conditions.

The Zawiya refining company indicated at that time that operations were continuing, with temporary access through a secondary entrance. The new shutdown now directly impacts the crude oil supply chain between the interior of the country and Zawiya.

The NOC describes the Hamada-Zawiya pipeline as a vital 387-kilometer, 18-inch diameter infrastructure for transporting oil to storage and refining facilities.