Libya’s oil sector is facing mounting security concerns after repeated drone attacks set facilities ablaze in Zawiya, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Tripoli, targeting infrastructure vital to the country’s energy industry.
Experts have described the attacks as a serious threat to the sector, warning that further strikes could prompt the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to declare force majeure and suspend operations at the Zawiya refinery. Calls are growing for urgent measures to protect oil installations.
As of Tuesday afternoon, teams from authorities were still battling a fire at the refinery, cooling the site and securing nearby tanks and facilities to prevent the flames from spreading.
The attacks present a new security challenge for Libya’s oil industry as drones increasingly target facilities directly linked to storage, refining and distribution, putting operations at risk.
Mohammed al-Bakoush, director of the emergency and crisis management department at the National Safety Authority, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “drone chaos and armed groups” had contributed to deteriorating security around the strategically important refinery.
He said conditions had improved Tuesday morning after additional emergency teams and equipment arrived from several areas, though firefighting and cooling operations were continuing.
Among the sites targeted was the Zawiya Oil Refining Company’s lubricants blending and packaging plant, where a drone fell near the main oil tank and a pipeline network used to produce lubricants for the domestic market.
A gasoline storage tank belonging to Brega Oil Marketing Company was also directly hit. The tank contained about 4.5 million liters of gasoline, triggering a major fire that caused it to collapse completely.
On Saturday, a tank at the Zawiya refinery was struck, damaging its wall and leaving two holes that caused some of the stored product to leak, though no fire erupted.
Brega spokesman Ahmed al-Maslati told Asharq Al-Awsat that fuel distribution had been partially disrupted by the situation at the refinery, forcing the company to shift distribution operations to the Tripoli oil depot.
He called for decisive action to end the drone attacks threatening Libya’s oil production and fuel distribution.
No casualties have been reported in the attacks, according to available official statements. However, the NOC has warned that continued strikes could force it to declare force majeure and shut down the refinery entirely.
Oil expert Najwa al-Beshti said such a declaration in Zawiya would have immediate repercussions for Libya’s oil production and exports. It could halt the refining of 100,000 barrels per day from the Sharara field and stop exports of around 200,000 barrels of crude through Zawiya port.
That would deprive the country of more than 20 percent of its oil output, posing a serious threat to an economy heavily dependent on petroleum revenues, she told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Libya produces around 1.4 million barrels of crude per day, according to official figures, while the NOC aims to raise output to about 1.5 million bpd by the middle of next year.
The escalating attacks in Zawiya highlight the vulnerability of Libya’s oil infrastructure amid persistent insecurity and the proliferation of armed groups, making the sector’s protection increasingly dependent on the authorities’ ability to establish lasting security around critical facilities.
