Fires at Libya's Zawiya Refinery Brought Under Control, NOC Says

General view of the Libyan state National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, Libya July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed/File Photo
General view of the Libyan state National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, Libya July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed/File Photo
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Fires at Libya's Zawiya Refinery Brought Under Control, NOC Says

General view of the Libyan state National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, Libya July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed/File Photo
General view of the Libyan state National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, Libya July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed/File Photo

Fires that broke out in a number of reservoirs in Libya's Zawiya refinery have been brought under control, Khaled Abulgasem Gulam, spokesperson for the country's National Oil Corporation (NOC), said in a statement on Sunday.

Zawiya, 40 km (25 miles) west of the capital Tripoli, is home to Libya's biggest functioning refinery, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. The refinery is connected to the country's 300,000 bpd Sharara oilfield.

Teams at the refinery are transferring the remaining contents to other reservoirs, Gulam said, Reuters reported.

Earlier on Sunday, NOC declared force majeure after reservoirs at the Zawiya refinery were severely damaged due to ongoing clashes between armed groups in its vicinity.

There was no immediate indications of who was involved in the violence or the reason for it.

NOC posted pictures on Facebook showing firefighting teams extinguishing the fires.

Libya's oil sector, a major source of income for the country, has been a target for local and broader political protests as well as security unrest since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.



Lebanese PM to Visit Damascus ‘Soon’

25 June 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati attends a meeting in Beirut. (dpa)
25 June 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati attends a meeting in Beirut. (dpa)
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Lebanese PM to Visit Damascus ‘Soon’

25 June 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati attends a meeting in Beirut. (dpa)
25 June 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati attends a meeting in Beirut. (dpa)

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister is to visit Damascus "soon", the information minister said on Tuesday -- the first such visit since opposition factions seized power in Syria last month.

"There will be a visit to Syria soon, headed by Prime Minister (Najib) Mikati," Ziad Makary told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Last week, Mikati's office said he had a phone call with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who invited him to Damascus.