Libyan Authorities Evacuate Tankers From Tripoli After Apparent Strike on Vessel -Officials
February 18 2020 - 9:14AM
Dow Jones News
By Benoit Faucon
The Libyan authorities have ordered the immediate departure of
tankers from Tripoli after an apparent strike hit a nearby vessel,
oil officials said Tuesday.
Libyan general Khalifa Haftar has laid siege on Tripoli since
last year and recently blocked most of the country's oil flows, the
source of virtually all its revenue, in retaliation for a Turkish
intervention on the government's side.
One liquefied-petroleum-gas carrier and three "gasoline vessels
are instructed to depart Tripoli port immediately," said an
official with Libya's National Oil Co., the state-run company
running oil production and fuel supplies in the country. Another
official said a vessel nearby appeared to have been hit by a strike
though the ship's nationality was unclear. A nearby office occupied
by a joint-venture between NOC and Italy's Eni SpA was also
evacuated, one official said.
The ships' forced departure is a blow to the government, which
relies on imports for large parts of its power generation, bottled
gas and motor fuel.
Libya's warring sides have resumed Tuesday U.N.-brokered talks
aimed at salvaging a fragile cease-fire in the North African
country, the U.N. said Tuesday.
But both sides have repeatedly violated the cease-fire, which
was brokered by Russia and Turkey on Jan. 12, escalating with the
blockade of oil ports by Gen. Haftar. As of Feb. 13, production had
fallen to 163,000 barrels a day from 1.2 million barrels a day
before the shutdowns, causing losses of $1.4 billion, NOC said last
week.
Write to Benoit Faucon at benoit.faucon@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 18, 2020 08:59 ET (13:59 GMT)
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