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By Fadi Fornaji.
Tunis, 15 September 2016:
The NOC is ending its declaration of force majeure at the three east Libyan oil terminals taken on Sunday by the Libyan National Army: Ras Lanuf, Sidra and Zueitina.
In a statement today, NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla said as a result of his visit yesterday to Zueitina yesteray, the LNA had handed over control of the three terminals and exports would now restart.
“They are secure, and we have been in contact with our foreign commercial partners. NOC assessment teams have reported that Zuetina and Brega ports are intact, and that Ras Lanuf and Es Sidra were not further damaged during recent events. NOC is therefore lifting force majeure at all Oil Crescent ports.”
Exports, he stated, would resume “immediately from Zuetina and Ras Lanuf, and will continue at Brega”. Exports would resume from Sidra as soon as possible.
A Greek-owned, Maltese-flagged tanker, Seadelta, has already sailed from Italy and this evening was anchored outside Ras Lanuf waiting to take on oil.
Sanalla indicated that the lifting of force majeure had the support of both the Presidency Council and the House of Representatives. “The decision was in accordance with the instructions given to me by House of Representatives and the Presidency Council”, he said, thanking Libyan leaders and politicians “for choosing unity of Libya and reconciliation at this critical juncture”.
The LNA’s action at the three terminals could, he added, have escalated the crisis in Libya “with potentially devastating consequences for the nation and our petroleum industry”.
Instead, both the PC and the LNA had found “a shared interest” in allowing the oil to flow.
“The wisdom of that decision needs to be recognised,” he said.
Force majeure was declared at Sidra and Ras Lanuf on 14 December 2014. Both terminals were subsequently damaged in an attack at the end of 2014 by Libya Dawn forces and another in January this year by the so-called Islamic State.
Force majeure was declared at Zueitina on 3 November 2015. It was not declared at Brega.
