Closure of Valve 7 cuts production and blocks technical teams
Libya – The National Oil Corporation said an armed military group closed Valve No. 7 on Monday morning, halting the crude oil pipeline from the Sharara field operated by Akakus Oil Operations to Zawiya Port, and warned that it may be forced to declare force majeure if the closure continues.
Rising pressure and falling production
The corporation said in a statement that the closure had caused pressure to rise on the crude shipping line and a sharp drop in production at the Sharara field.
It added that it had contacted the Petroleum Facilities Guard in the south-west and called on it to carry out its duties, but its appeals had yielded no results by the time the statement was issued, and technical teams had been unable to reach the area of valves 6 and 7.
Warning of field and refinery shutdown
The corporation warned that continued closure would halt production at Sharara and stop transport and export operations, causing direct harm to the national economy through a fall in public revenues — especially amid high global oil prices — as well as exposing the oil transport system and its facilities to technical and operational risks.
It stressed that continued closure would also shut down the Zawiya oil refinery, increasing the bill for importing fuel from abroad.
Call to reopen the line and secure oil sites
The corporation called on those who closed the line to exercise reason and wisdom, put the national interest above narrow interests, and reopen the line immediately and urgently.
It also called on the relevant authorities to fulfil their responsibilities in securing and protecting oil sites, and to keep them clear of protests, demonstrations and similar actions.
Possible declaration of force majeure
The corporation stressed that oil and its facilities belong to the Libyan people, and that maintaining production and protecting these assets is a shared national responsibility, affirming that it may be forced to declare force majeure if the closure continues.
