By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 16 September 2013:
Pumping recommenced from Al-Sharara and El-Fil (Elephant) oilfields today. The reopening, ending a stoppage lasting over . . .[restrict]a fortnight, was confirmed to the Libya Herald by both the Deputy of Ministry of Oil and Gas, Omar Shakmak, and the Crisis Committee set up by the Congress to deal with the oil and gas lockdown.
“The process of pumping oil again from the two oil fields El-Fil and Al-Sharara into the pipelines to the Zawiya refinery and port started nearly hours ago,” Shakmak said this afternoon.
He believed that Al-Sharara field was in an excellent condition and did not think there had been any damage to the Elephant field either. However, there could be “negative impacts” in some fields that did not yet resumed work, he said.
The head of the Congressional Crisis Committee, Abdulwhab Al-Ghaid, thanked the Local Council of Zintan town for their efforts to end the crisis today, Martyrs’ Day.
Militiamen from Zintan were among others who shut down the pipelines from Sharara, Elephant and Hamada oil fields last month despite the opposition of Zintan Local Council.
The reopening of the pipelines confirmed the determination of all the various parties to rebuild Libya, restiore security and stability and overcome Libya’s present problems, Al-Ghaid said at a speech marking Martyrs’ Day.
Negotiations are still continuing with protesters who had closed the oil fields and terminals in the east of Libya , he added. [/restrict]
