The Tripoli Ministry of Economy and Trade’s Libya Trade Net announced yesterday that it had issued a notice to shipping companies and shipping agencies informing them of the activation of the electronic service for receiving vessel arrival notifications and cargo manifests via the Port Trade Service (PTS) at the ports of Tripoli and Al-Khoms, effective 5 August 2026.
Control over imports
This comes as part of the Tripoli government’s efforts to control and monitor the policy and process of the import of goods. The government wants to prevent the entry of out of date or banned products and the entry of fake or undervalued imports as part of money laundering or currency smuggling activities.
Central Bank of Libya guardianship of Libya’s hard currencies
The Central Bank of Libya, on the other hand, wants to preserve its finite hard currency reserves and wants to assure that letters of credit (LCs) opened for imports are exploited to the greater good of Libya and its citizens. This is especially the case since there is high demand for LCs at the official, and lower, exchange rate.
Government has no control of goods entering all Libyan ports
It will also be recalled that during the recent agricultural pesticide’s crisis, and in a damning remark on the government’s control of goods entering, the Attorney General, Siddig Al-Sour said ‘‘There is no control over ports of entry or any other entry points. Drugs, perished food, and expired goods are entering Libya through all ports of entry’’.
The Attorney General’s Office had revealed that the Public Prosecution's campaign against banned pesticides resulted in the seizure of approximately 65,000 units of prohibited or non-compliant pesticides.
The operation led to the registration of 236 cases, the arrest of 202 suspects, and the pursuit of 73 wanted individuals.
The prosecution office had said that it had begun tracing the entry routes of these substances into the country and identifying the entities and individuals involved in their import or distribution, in preparation for taking legal action and initiating public prosecution proceedings against them.
Economy Minister Abu Shiha: more than 10 million Libyan consumers affected
Also commenting on the matter of expired pesticides, the Minister of Economy and Trade, Suhail Abu Shiha, said the issue of agricultural pesticides affects more than 10 million consumers in Libya.
He said that US$ 900 million in documentary credits was allocated to the agricultural sector in 2025.
The minister added that some countries exporting agricultural products to the Libyan market do not permit the sale of those same products within their own domestic markets.
He revealed that he had long requested the use of a reputable international goods tracking company for Libya's imports – without success.
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