National Oil Corporation (NOC) chairman, Naji Issa, announced on his personal social media site yesterday, that he had held a meeting at his Tripoli office, with Hassan Al-Haidari, Country Manager for SLB (Schlumberger) in Libya, attended by the General Manager of Finance at the NOC.
The meeting reviewed SLB’s operations in Libya and discuss mechanisms to ensure the continued execution of its projects.
Suleiman said ‘‘The meeting addressed operational progress and ways to settle financial obligations. We discussed establishing a mechanism to ensure the steady execution of projects and the continuity of operations—thereby serving the Libyan oil sector's goals and avoiding measures that could lead to a reduction in the company's (SLB) activities.
Emphasized the importance of establishing a clear timeline for settling financial obligations
Mr. Hassan Al-Haidari affirmed SLB’s commitment to continuing its operations in Libya. He emphasized the importance of establishing a clear timeline for settling financial obligations to ensure business continuity—despite financial constraints that might otherwise lead to a reduction in the scope of work—and to bolster the company's ability to continue providing services and support to the Libyan oil sector.
For my part, I underscored the importance of SLB continuing to play its role during this phase, given its global expertise and advanced technologies, which contribute to supporting exploration and production operations, as well as maintaining and boosting production levels. I also reiterated my commitment to exerting every effort—in coordination with the Government of National Unity—to meet outstanding financial obligations to both local and foreign companies. This serves to build confidence and ensure the continuity of investment and the development of Libya's oil sector’’.
It will be recalled that strong rumours had started to circulate over the last few months in oil circles and on social media that SLB was considering reducing its staff and activity in Libya due to the delayed payment of outstanding debts.
