El Sharara oilfield in Libya. Operations were halted on Thursday after tribal leaders protested against the apparent arrest of a former finance minister. Reuters
El Sharara oilfield in Libya. Operations were halted on Thursday after tribal leaders protested against the apparent arrest of a former finance minister. Reuters
El Sharara oilfield in Libya. Operations were halted on Thursday after tribal leaders protested against the apparent arrest of a former finance minister. Reuters
El Sharara oilfield in Libya. Operations were halted on Thursday after tribal leaders protested against the apparent arrest of a former finance minister. Reuters

Libya’s El Feel and Sharara oilfields resume production after protests


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Production at Libya's Sharara and El Feel oilfields has resumed, days after being shut due to protests.

Sharara has partially resumed at 30,000 barrels per day, with output expected to return to normal on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing engineers.

Operations were halted on Thursday after tribal leaders protested against the apparent arrest of a former finance minister.

The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest production areas with a capacity of 300,000 bpd, has been a frequent target for protesters fuelled by political causes.

The site is in the Murzuq basin in the south-east and is run by state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) via Acacus alongside Spain's Repsol, France's TotalEnergies, Austria's OMV and Norway's Equinor.

El Feel field, with a capacity of 70,000 bpd, is operated by Mellitah Oil and Gas, a joint venture between NOC and Italy's Eni.

NOC could not be immediately reached for a comment.

Earlier on Saturday, Libya's oil minister Muhammad Aoun told Dubai-based Asharq TV that the closure of the oilfields had led to a production loss of 340,000 bpd.

Libya, Opec’s seventh-largest crude oil producer, has been looking to boost production after years of being plagued by conflict and political instability.

NOC plans to bolster oil production to 2.1 million bpd by 2025, from about 1.2 million bpd currently.

To reach this target, it aims to develop new projects and rehabilitate oilfields damaged during conflict while increasing power supply to the areas.

In 2021, oil revenue accounted for an estimated 98 per cent of Libya’s total government revenue, according to the country's central bank.

The country was plunged into over a decade of chaos after a Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.

The country has since been politically divided, with one administration in Tripoli and another in the east backed by Gen Khalifa Haftar.

Brent crude, the benchmark for two thirds of the world’s oil, rose as much as 2 per cent on Thursday on reports of the production disruption.

Oil prices fell on Friday but posted a third weekly gain amid hopes that easing inflation in the US will drive crude demand in the world’s biggest economy.

Brent crossed the $80 per barrel-mark for the first time since April last week, as a sharp cooling in US inflation sparked hopes that the US Federal Reserve will ease off from further aggressive interest rate increases.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

Updated: July 16, 2023, 8:31 AM