Libya oil pipeline reopens after being blocked by armed group

TRIPOLI

A picture taken on June 3, 2020 shows an oil refinery in Libya’s northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP Photo)

Libya's national oil firm has announced that an oil pipeline blocked for several days by an armed group had reopened, ending a disruption it said had cost $95 million.

The pipeline links the Al-Sharara oilfield in southwest Libya to the Zawiya export terminal on the Mediterranean coast.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) said in a statement on Sept. 26 that valve number seven had been reopened, allowing crude pumping through the pipeline to resume.

The pipeline is operated by Akakus, a joint venture between the NOC, Spain's Repsol, France's TotalEnergies, Austria's OMV and Norway's Equinor.

An armed group shut the valve on Sept. 21, causing a sharp drop in production, according to the NOC. It gave no details about those responsible or their demands.

Blockades of oil and gas facilities have been common in Libya in recent years, driven by social grievances, security threats or political disputes.