Libyan Pipeline Blockage Threatens Total Shutdown at Major Oil Field

An armed military group shut down a critical pipeline valve in western Libya on Monday, forcing a sharp reduction in output from one of the country's largest oilfields and threatening further industrial disruption, according to state officials.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) said the group closed valve seven on the Sharara crude pipeline, which transports oil directly to the coastal Zawiya port.

The action has severely disrupted operations at the Sharara oilfield, cutting production by roughly 200,000 barrels per day.

Two field engineers told Reuters that daily output plummeted from its capacity of nearly 300,000 bpd to between 100,000 and 105,000 bpd.

The state-run NOC requested immediate intervention from the Southwest Petroleum Facilities Guard to secure the area and clear access.

However, technical crews have so far been unable to reach the isolated section containing valves six and seven to assess or restore operations.

NOC officials warned that an extended closure would force a total shutdown of Sharara's output, halt transport and export procedures, and severely damage state revenues.

A prolonged disruption would also starve the nearby Zawiya refinery of crude, forcing it to cease operations entirely.

The corporation urged the armed group to reopen the pipeline immediately, warning that it may be forced to declare force majeure—a legal clause waiving contractual delivery obligations—if the blockade persists.

The pipeline closure marks the latest disruption to strike Libya’s volatile energy sector.

Since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the nation's oil infrastructure has suffered repeated blockades stemming from political rivalries, local protests, and armed group incursions.

The pipeline shutdown follows a separate incident just last week, when Petroleum Facilities Guard members closed a key crude pipeline, halting output across several other Libyan oilfields.

Although NOC Chairman Massoud Suleman noted at the time that Sharara had remained unaffected, the latest valve closure highlights the ongoing vulnerability of the nation's critical energy transport network.