By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 3 July 2014:
Despite yesterday’s handover of the Ras Lanuf and Sidra oil terminals by Ibrahim Jadhran to the . . .[restrict]government, the terminals are still not open. The National Oil Corporation has not lifted its declaration of force majeure at the two, NOC Spokesman Mohammed Al-Harrari told the Libya Herald today.
Until the declaration is lifted, no tankers can dock at the terminals and no oil be lifted.
Force majeure was declared in respect of the two terminals, as well as of Zueitina and Brega, on 18 August last year, shortly after Jedhran closed them. The declaration in respect of Brega was lifted ten days later, and it has been operating ever since.
In the case of Zueitina, which was handed back to government control at the beginning of April, it was a further three weeks before the declaration was lifted.
It was just a few days later that a first tanker arrived to take on oil there but there have been no others since. Technical problems dating back to the revolution have kept it shut.
Meanwhile members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) belonging to the Zwai tribe have today said that they will close oilfields at Jalu and Jakharra in protest at the deal done with Jadhran and the handover. They say they oppose to any dealings with him. The real reason, however, is said to be that his PFG forces have received money from the government and they have not.
The fields are thought to be Wintershall’s Nafura C96 concession at Jakhira and the nearby concession in the Amal field held by Harouge Oil, both of which are guarded by Zwai PFG. Neither have been in production because of the closure of the two terminals.
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