Reuters and Nova reported on a fire at the Sharara oil field. It resulted from a valve leak. Production continued without injuries.
Two field reports addressed the fire incident. These were published by Reuters and Italy’s Nova news agency. The reports covered a fire in a crude oil transfer pipeline from the Sharara oil field. They also detailed the causes of the incident. The National Oil Corporation confirmed continued production. No injuries were recorded.
The reports quoted the National Oil Corporation in Tripoli. It confirmed the fire resulted from a valve leak. Oil flows were gradually diverted. This was done through the El Feel field pipelines to Mellitah port. Flows were also diverted through the Hamada field. They went to storage tanks in Zawiya.
The reports cited three engineers at the field. They stated that production was gradually halted. This happened after an explosion in one of the pipelines. Maintenance work is expected to continue for about two days. This includes assessing the extent of damage from the incident.
Local sources reported a possibility of sabotage. This was according to the two reports. They said it might have been carried out by elements linked to armed groups from Zintan.
The damaged valve was a target in previous years. It faced incidents of forced closure or sabotage. Other infrastructure was also targeted. The perpetrators were never identified.