Libya Oil Production Reaches Over 900,000bpd

On 20 June, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced that Libya’s total oil production had reached over 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) for the first time in four years. This is in part due to the resumption of oil production to Zueitina port from Mellitah’s Abu-Tifl oil field and from Wintershall’s two oil fields following the temporary resolution of a dispute between the German company and the NOC. Our sources report that the tanker MYRTOS docked at Ras Lanuf port on 25 June to load 600,000 barrels of crude, while a local Sirte oil company official confirmed that four crude storage tanks have been fully repaired and are back in operation, making a total of 7 operational tanks in the Ras Lanuf tank farm.The Libya Herald reports that output hit 950,000 bpd at the end of last week, bringing Libya close to NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanallah's target of 1 million bpd by the end of the month, but that because of maintenance and pipeline leaks, the figure has this week dropped back to an average of 935,000 bpd.On 20 June, a lone-wolf attacker, allegedly either a Sudanese or Chadian national potentially tied to ISIS (though the group hasn’t taken any official credit for the attempt), detonated a suicide vest at the Sidra gate checkpoint held by Libyan National Army (LNA) fighters. He killed himself and injured another. Heavy artillery including 17 tank shells and an anti-air rocket were later discovered rigged to his vehicle, leading some to believe that the attacker’s initial target may have been the oil facilities rather than LNA fighters.