Libya Says It Isn’t Legally Liable in Shutdown of Its Biggest Oil Field

  • Sharara’s output stopped after armed group occupies field: NOC
  • Libya output to drop, days after OPEC exempts it from oil cuts

An oil drilling rig in the Sharara field, Libya.

Photographer: Benjamin Lowy/Getty Images

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Libya declared a state of force majeure at its largest oil field after an armed group forced a production halt, just days after OPEC exempted the country from global crude output cuts.

The shutdown at the Sharara field will result in a production loss of 315,000 barrels a day, the state energy producer National Oil Corp. said on its website. Sharara is operated by a joint venture between the NOC and Total SA, Repsol SA, OMV AG and Equinor ASA, known formerly as Statoil ASA.