Head of The National Oil Corporation (NOC) Mustafa Sanalla said on Sunday two foreign workers at el-Sharara oilfield are still missing after their abduction during the armed raid of the field last December.
During a Benghazi press conference, Sanalla added that Sharara is still closed.
The conference was held to mark the challenges and achievements of the energy sector during 2018, along with announcing several projects scheduled for 2019. The conference also highlighted the security situation at oilfields.
In his statements, Sanalla explained the NOC plan to raise the efficiency of production in 2019, pointing out that the revenues of the sector amounted to $24 billion during the past period.
Sanalla also noted that as a result of Sharara closure, Libya’s oil production has declined to 983.000 barrels per day after it was producing up to 1.3 million barrels per day before the armed attack on the field.
Last month, armed elements self-proclaimed as the Fezzan Anger Movement occupied Sharara oilfield, which is the country’s largest, and forced production to shut down until their demands are fulfilled.
The movement demands the securing of the road linking al-Jafra and al-Shuwairf towns to Fezzan, preserving Fezzan’s water and oil resources, and providing basic medical needs including equipment for Fezzan’s hospitals.
The NOC declared force majeure on operations at the oilfield, saying it will not lift it because it “cannot risk the workers’ lives.”
In a December statement, Sanalla said the situation in the oil field remains dangerous, and the force majeure state cannot be lifted until there is an alternative security plan.
