By Libya Herald reporters.
Benghazi, 18 July 2016:
The latest strike by workers at the Hariga oil terminal has forced the closure of the Sarir oil field. The loss of its 100,000 b/d production is likely to be followed by a production halt at the 70,000 b/d Messla field, which also uses the 400 km pipeline to Hariga.
The industrial action in the form of a sit-in at the export terminal is reported to have been caused by unpaid salaries. However it is also being said that Petroleum Facilities Guards are involved.
Either way, some 170,000 b/d of oil production is likely to be lost, because the tank farms at Hariga are already full.
NOC subsidiary, the Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) said that an Italian-bound tanker with 600,000 barrels aboard had been stopped from leaving the terminal. This suggests that tugboat crews and pilots, whose use is compulsory, are supporting the strike. However, tonight there is no sign of any tanker actually at the terminal, according to charts generated by MarineTraffic.com. The only tanker standing off Tobruk is the Panangia Armata, described as a product carrier.
Hariga has endured a series of stoppages since the Revolution. The last was in May when the Eastern branch of NOC blocked the loading of a Maltese tanker. Earlier interruptions to the terminal’s 24-hour operations have generally been because workers or guards have not been paid.
