Production resumes in Libya's El Sharara and El Feel oil fields after release of ex-minister - agencies

Oil production had been halted by tribesmen after the former finance minister Faraj Boumtari was abducted.

PHOTO: Oil pumps next to the flag of Libya. Getty Images

Libya confirmed on Sunday that production at the El Sharara and El Feel oil fields had resumed after the country's former finance minister was released, reports Turkey’s state-run media Anadolu Agency.

The Libyan oil ministry has confirmed that production resumed on Saturday after Boumtari was released from detention in Tripoli. Both of the oil fields had shut down production after Boumtari’s abduction last week, as locals from the al-Zawi tribe demanded the ex-minister's release.

The tribe's leader Al-Senussi Al-ahlaiq has confirmed the release of Boumtari to Reuters, who was detained by the International Security Agency after arriving at Mitiga airport on Tuesday.

Reuters further reported that the oil field in El Sharara has “partially resumed at 30,000 b/d out of its usual 290,000 b/d,” citing two oil engineers familiar with the matter. The El Sharara oilfield can produce more than 300,000 b/d, forming almost a third of the country’s total production, while El Feel has a total capacity of 70,000 b/d.

Libya’s oil fields, which hold Africa’s largest crude reserves, have consistently faced threats due to various political factors that have led to years of conflict and violence in the country, ever since the 2011 ousting of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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