Libya's oil output drops amid closures

By Moataz Wanees

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Libya’s crude oil production dropped to less than 200,000 barrels per day amid a continued shutdown of ports and facilities, the country’s oil ministry said on Sunday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Oil and Gas said the closure has affected almost all Libya’s oil fields and ports.

“There are only a few number of operational fields that produce between 100,000 to 200,000 barrels a day,” it added.

Since April 17, Libyan tribal groups shut down much of Libya’s oil facilities in southern and central Libya to pressure Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh to hand over power to the Parliament-appointed government of Fathi Bashagha.

Prior to the closure, Libya was producing around 1.2 million crude oil barrels a day.

Libya holds Africa’s largest crude reserves, but 11 years of conflict in the country since the 2011 ouster of ruler Muammar Gaddafi has hobbled production and exports.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar