By Libya Herald staff.
Tunis, 9 May 2017:
The Benghazi-based Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) has announced that its Beida oilfield, southwest of Maradah, restarted production this morning.
Output is at 10,000 barrels a day, a company spokesman said.
This is down from 12,000 b/d when the field was fully operational four years ago. Production ceased in 2013 when Ibrahim Jadhran and his Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG) took over the oil terminals at Sidra and Ras Lanuf and closed them.
Oil from the field was pumped to Ras Lanuf.
The field continued to be maintained, however, until just over a year ago when AGOCO pulled out staff after it was attacked by Islamic State gunmen and two Petroleum Facilities Guards were killed.
The pull-out occurred shortly after AGOCO made a new discovery in the field.
Today’s reopening followed repairs to oilfield facilities and equipment, the company said. It is also reported that some 60,000 barrels of oil in storage tanks at the field would now be pumped to Ras Lanuf for export.
