Closure of Hamada-Zawiya crude pipeline valve threatens output and revenue
The isolation valve at the end of the 18-inch crude pipeline carrying oil from the Hamada and Tahara fields to Libya’s Zawiya refinery has been closed, according to the National Oil Corporation (NOC).
The NOC said individuals entered the crude reception station of its subsidiary, Arabian Gulf Oil Company, next to the refinery and shut the valve without the knowledge of, or prior coordination with, the relevant technical and operational authorities. It did not say who they were or what they wanted.
The corporation warned that a prolonged closure would cost crude output, harming production rates and efforts to keep operations stable and raise capacity, as well as oil revenue.
It called for oil facilities to be kept neutral and free of interference that disrupts operations, and urged the authorities to intervene immediately to reopen the valve and secure the site so that technical teams can resume work.
