(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
Libya’s state oil corporation (NOC) held a meeting in Tripoli with its directors of maintenance units from various oil firms in Libya.
The purpose of the meeting was to address issues regarding maintenance work at the oil facilities and discuss solutions to fix pipelines that have not been in use for a few years as well as solutions that can help improve efficiency in oil production.
The increasing volume of oil production was among the issues that the directors discussed with Mustafa Sanalla, Chairman of the NOC.
“We called for repairing the leaks of the oil pipelines that connect the oil fields and port,” said a statement posted on the NOC’s website on Thursday.
The statement emphasized the need to maintain good cooperative relationships among all Libyan oil firms in hopes of Libya overcoming its financial difficulties.
Sanalla made a statement earlier saying that Libya is making its way ”toward economic revival” however, ongoing clashes continue to put oil facilities at risk of being attacked again.
Before the 2011 uprising, Libya was producing around 1.6 million barrels of oil per day. However, as the violence in the oil rich country escalated, oil fields and ports were shut down as vying militia groups attempted to take possession of the country’s main source of revenue.
The escalating violence put the oil fields and ports under force majeure, which legally prevents a group from being held liable when the situation is out of their hands.
Force majeure for Zueitina oil port, along with Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports, was lifted by the NOC on September 14 when a deal was agreed upon by the state oil company and Haftar, who forcefully took possession of the oil facilities.