Interior Minister of Libya’s Interim Government, Ibrahim Bushnaf, issued a decision to establish an office to combat fuel smuggling, affiliated with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
In its statement, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that the new office would control the process of distributing fuel from the refinery to petrol stations. This distribution would also include consumers, without colluding with the black market or smuggling it outside the country.
The MoI stated that the office has begun its responsibilities since Wednesday, to solve the problems occurring in gas stations, due to the shortage of light diesel fuel. The National Oil Corporation (NOC), had previously said that smuggling operations cost Libya about $750 million annually.
Notably, the Zawiya refinery, Libya’s largest refinery announced on Monday, that it has suspended work due to the spread of COVID-19. In a statement, the refinery, which is located west of Tripoli, said it was closing its offices from 8-17 September, reducing staff by 10%, and placing them on “emergency leave”.
Simultaneously, the Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) in eastern Libya, announced it had also suspended all work and activities for 30 days. Except for operations relating to industrial safety, and security. The company indicated that this decision was “to protect oil workers from the pandemic”.