By Sami Zaptia.
London, 15 April 2020:
Libya’s state National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced yesterday that the shutdown of oil production and exports since 17 January has lost the country over US$ 4 billion.
It revealed that total oil production inside Libya is down to 80,510 barrels a day, as of Monday 13 April 2020.
The shutdown had resulted in the shutdown of Zawia refinery and as a result the NOC said that it has had to increase imports since then to meet the Libyan domestic consumer’s basic needs. It reported that most of its oil and gas storage tanks are damaged and cannot be used to store supplies.
The NOC called on all parties to lift the blockade and re-start oil and gas production, ‘‘so every Libyan can benefit from a steadier supply of fuels and a stronger economy’’.
It will be recalled that the oil shutdown was ostensibly carried out by tribal leaders protesting grievances, but the internationally recognized Libyan government based in Tripoli attributes to Khalifa Hafter.
