Libya’s Petroleum Guards Shut Oil Fields, NOC Threatens Force Majeure

Hamada oil fields, southwestern Libya, September 15. Members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard, the force responsible for protecting Libya's oil infrastructure, closed a valve on the Hamada-Zawiya crude pipeline. Production halted at both the Hamada and Tahara fields.

The guard's demand is a single one: transfer it financially and administratively from Libya's defense ministry to the National Oil Corporation. It set a deadline and said it would impose partial production cuts at three additional fields (Wafa, Al-Khamsa and El Feel) for one week, then escalate to a full shutdown if the change is not made.

Libya's NOC said it may declare force majeure if the valve remains closed or if similar shutdowns spread. According to OilPrice.com, Libyan production had recently reached about 1.4 million barrels per day, its highest level in over a decade.