A group of unauthorized individuals shut an isolation valve on a crude oil pipeline near Libya’s Zawiya refinery, the country’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said in a statement released on Thursday.
According to the NOC, the individuals entered a crude oil reception station operated by the Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) near the refinery and closed a valve on an 18-inch pipeline.
The pipeline transports crude oil from AGOCO’s Hamada and Tahara fields to the Zawiya refinery.
The NOC said the valve was closed without prior coordination or approval from the relevant technical and operational authorities.
The corporation warned that a prolonged closure could force production shutdowns, disrupt operations and reduce national oil revenues.
It also stressed the need to protect oil facilities from unauthorized interference to ensure uninterrupted crude oil flows.
The NOC called on the relevant authorities to intervene immediately to reopen the valve and secure the site, allowing the corporation to continue its technical and operational activities.
The affected facilities, including AGOCO-operated Hamada and Tahara fields and the NC5 pumping station, have a combined production capacity of approximately 10,000 barrels per day, according to international media reports.