Libya’s major ports get ready to resume crude shipments after clashes

Libya’s major oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf are resuming operations and preparing to export crude after a two-week halt in shipments due to armed clashes in the holder of Africa’s largest crude reserves.
Libya’s total production rose on Monday to 646,000 barrels a day from 621,000, mostly due to an increase from Waha Oil Co, Jadalla Alaokali, a National Oil Corp board member, said by phone the
same day. Waha Oil feeds into Es Sider, the country’s biggest oil port. Staff are returning to Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, the country’s third-largest, and exports are set to restart in a week to 10 days, Alaokali said on Sunday.
“Both ports are ready to restart exports,” he said. An oil tanker, still to be nominated, is set to load 1mn barrels of crude from Es Sider on March 26, according to a person familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public.
Waha Oil, a joint venture between the NOC, Hess Corp, Marathon Oil Corp and ConocoPhillips, suspended production earlier this month after clashes between armed factions in the politically divided nation forced Es Sider and Ras Lanuf to suspend shipments. Waha Oil is “soon” expected to reach 75,000 to 80,000 barrels a day, the level it was at about two weeks ago before fighting broke out near the ports on March 3, according to Alaokali.