By Muttaz Ali and Callum Paton.
Tripoli, 13 April 2014:
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) has said the blockade at Zawia oil terminal . . .[restrict]which sparked fears of petrol shortages in Tripoli and many towns in the west of the country has ended and that normal supply are expected to resume shortly.
Spokesman for the NOC Mohammed Al-Harrari told the Libya Herald the blockade ended early this morning and that trucks carrying fuel were now moving unimpeded from Zawia. However, he added that the NOC was monitoring the changing situation on roads leading to the terminal.
In an earlier statement the NOC said fuel stockpiles in Misrata were being used to help ease the strain on supply after the blockade, which began on Friday, caused panic buying at the pumps.
Today in Tripoli drivers queued for hours outside those petrol stations which remained open before they could fill up. One driver, Mourad Ghariba, said he arrived at a petrol station in the Al-Hani area of the capital at 5 am and waited well into the afternoon before he was able to fill up his car.
In Zuwara, most petrol stations closed. [/restrict]
