Libya’s oil production has plunged by almost a quarter after workers shut the OPEC country’s biggest field to protest lack of medical care following the death of a colleague, a person familiar with the matter said.
Output has fallen to 618,000 B/D after workers halted production at Sharara field, protesting the death of a colleague and demanding better working conditions, the person said, asking not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media. The country was producing 807,000 B/D on 5 June, Jadalla Alaokali, board member at National Oil Corp., said at the time.
Libya has sought to boost crude exports but fighting and labor unrest at ports and fields have crippled these efforts. In the country where much of the foreign staff of international companies left following a 2011 uprising, local employees run risks as they continue to produce and export crude. Libya was exempt from production cuts agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied suppliers on 25 May to battle a global glut.