(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
For the first time since last year, Zueitina oil terminal began loading crude oil into a cargo ship on Thursday, according to a port official.
Zueitina and two other oil ports were under a force majeure that was recently lifted last month by Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC).
Zueitina was forced to shut down in November 2015 after ongoing clashes compromised the oil facility. The other two ports, Ras Lanuf and Es Sider closed in December 2014 for the same reason.
The vessel Ionic Anassa has docked at Zueitina to load 800,000 barrels of oil that will go to China.
Libya’s oil production rose substantially when force majeure was lifted.
The country’s production has reached almost 510,000 barrels a day on Thursday, said a Libyan oil official.
By the end of the year, the NOC hopes that oil production would reach 900,000 barrels a day. However, the NOC said it will depend on if the NOC receives enough funding to cover the operational costs of the oil facilities and if the blocked pipelines in western Libya are reopened.