Libya's Oil Production Resumes After Brief Shutdown
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) Chairman Massoud Suleman reported that oil production has returned to normal after a brief disruption caused by security personnel at three oilfields. The shutdown, which lasted only one day, was due to a protest by members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), who secured Libya's oil facilities.
The protesters had closed a valve on the main Hamada-Zawiya crude-loading pipeline, halting production at the Hamada, Tahara, and NC5 fields. However, Suleman stated that he does not expect further shutdowns and that the group would discuss their demands with NOC in Tripoli this week.
The protesters had demanded that their agency be transferred 'financially and administratively under the National Oil Corporation'. Libyan oil output has been subject to repeated closures for political and technical reasons since the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, adding strain to a global oil market already facing severe disruption from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.