Protesters from the “Oil Crescent Movement” shut down the Sidra and Ras Lanuf oil ports on Tuesday morning, disrupting oil exports.
The protesters blocked the loading of the tanker Alpha Finlandia, which was scheduled to export 600,000 barrels of crude oil from the Sidra port. Two engineers at Sidra confirmed to Reuters that protesters had prevented the tanker from docking.
According to Bloomberg, the protest halted oil loading operations at both Sidra and Ras Lanuf ports. A source at Sidra port confirmed the disruption caused by the protesters.
Protests have historically caused interruptions in Libya’s oil operations. Reuters noted a similar incident in January last year, when protesters forced workers at the Sharara oil field to stop production.
Earlier this month, the Oil Crescent Movement released a video statement, giving the National Oil Corporation (NOC) a two-week deadline to meet their demands. They warned of shutting down oil fields and ports if their demands were ignored.
The group called for fair distribution of resources and improved living conditions for residents in the Oil Crescent region. They expressed frustration over the lack of response from responsible authorities to their grievances.
A source in Libya’s oil sector told Al-Wasat News that there were signs of a potential shutdown of Waha Oil Company fields due to delays in approving the new board of directors. The source said the Government of National Unity in Tripoli had not responded to the NOC after receiving nominations for the board.
This disruption comes at a time when Libya’s oil sector is critical to the country’s fragile economy. A prolonged shutdown could have significant consequences for national revenue and international oil markets.
