The National Oil Corporation (NOC) has confirmed an overnight security breach at the Sharara oil field.
In the early hours of Monday, December 31, 2018, an armed group attacked a member of the site’s civil guard, physically assaulting and restraining him, before stealing six air conditioning units.
In a separate incident, another group of criminals forced their way into the field’s support facility, breaking the gates at a catering warehouse prior to stealing vital goods.
NOC expresses grave concern at this latest security breach, symptomatic of ongoing security failures and the inability of forces assigned to protect this field of national importance.
NOC renews its call for an immediate restructuring of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) at the Sharara field, in order to guarantee worker safety and the timely restart of operations.
NOC chairman, Eng. Mustafa Sanalla said:
“There are around 1,500 security personnel, mandated and tasked with the protection of Libya’s largest oil field, and yet these incidents continue to occur; basic responsibilities are not being fulfilled.
“Restructuring our security provision has to be a top priority for everyone in order to prevent further damage to the Libyan economy and the future of our country.”
(Source: National Oil Corporation)
