Austrian multinational integrated oil, gas and petrochemical company OMV will resume exploration in Libya’s Sirte Basin in February 2024, according to a statement. OMV had paused its upstream operations in the basin following the declaration of force majeure in 2014, which was lifted in September last year. The milestone is in line with efforts by the Libyan government to enhance the country’s oil and gas reserves as well as production capacity.
“We support humanitarian pauses and corridors to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement and the release of hostages.”The G7 meeting was, in part, an attempt to contain the worsening humanitarian crisis while also keeping broader differences on Gaza from deepening. Since before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the G7 has held together in defense of the international order that originally emerged after the destruction of World War II. Israel remains unconvinced and Arab and Muslim nations are demanding an immediate full cease-fire, something the United States opposes. There have been some small cracks in the G7 over Gaza, which has inflamed international public opinion. Democracies are not immune from intense passions that have manifested themselves in massive pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrations in G7 capitals and elsewhere.
Libya’s state National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced yesterday that the Algerian state energy company Sonatrach is willing and ready to return and work fully in Libya, after it lifted the state of force majeure on its exploration areas in August this year. New Sonatrach CEO Hachichi Tripoli visitThe announcement came during the visit conducted Tuesday by Sonatrach CEO Rachid Hachichi, who, for his part, stressed the importance of maintaining economic relations and strategic cooperation in a way that preserves the interests of the two countries. This, he continued, in addition to resuming its activity in Libya, completing its contractual obligations, initiating the development of discovered fields, and enhancing ways of cooperation in the areas of implementing oil and gas projects, services and training. 2021 MoUA memorandum of understanding was previously signed during a meeting held in Tripoli between the former NOC Chairman, Mustafa Sanalla, and the former Sonatrach CEO, Tawfiq Hakar in 2021. Eni, BP and Sonatrach lift force majeure, resume contractual obligations in their oil and gas blocks (libyaherald.com)NOC’s Sanalla meets Algeria’s Sonatrach to discuss resumption of cooperation (libyaherald.com)Algeria’s Sonatrach withdraws staff from Libya (libyaherald.com)
UN envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, said he attended on Tuesday in Tunis the opening session of the Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) retreat, in the presence of the Co-Chairs of the Security Working Group of the Berlin process. The meeting reviewed the recent political and security developments in Libya, according to Bathily.
The Medusa subsea cable, which spans 8,760km in length, will have two new landing points in Libya, connecting the coastal cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. Ibrahem Rahab CEO of LUIC and Norman Albi managing director of Medusa and AFR-IX telecom attended the signing ceremony in Tripoli earlier this week. Some segments of the Medusa cable house up to 24 fibre pairs capable of transmitting 20Tbs per fibre pair. At present, Libya has 13 cable landing stations along the country’s north coast, with only four subsea cables connecting them. Once complete the landing of the Medusa submarine cable system in Libya will significantly improve the country’s connectivity and communication infrastructure, which will foster economic development and regional integration.
Oil prices struggled on Wednesday after sliding to their lowest levels in over three months in the previous session, according to Reuters. Brent crude futures advanced by 15 cents to $81.76 a barrel by 0636 GMT, while U.S. crude futures dipped 2 cents to $77.35 a barrel. Both declined to the lowest since July 24 on Tuesday.
Apart from the prize money awarded to the winners, all 15 finalists will receive a year of technical support and resources to help them accelerate and expand their work. The awards ceremony was the third for the Earthshot Prize and the first in Asia. Ardern, a trustee of the Earthshot board, said before the ceremony that Earthshot had helped amplified the solutions needed to fight climate change. The ceremony came ahead of the COP28 U.N. climate change summit in Dubai, which starts Nov. 30 and will include a speech by William's father, King Charles III. It’s already warmed about 1.1 degrees (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since the mid-1800s.
A rival government in the east, the Government of National Stability, controls around three-quarters of the country’s oil production capacity. NOC estimates that Libya will need about US$4 billion of investment a year to improve infrastructure and build oil production to 2 million b/d. However, even in our high case we do not expect NOC’s target of 2 million b/d to be achieved. The spectre of oil production shut-ins continues to hang over Libya. And alongside outages from ageing infrastructure, investment will remain too low to achieve significant increases in the short to medium term.
The Federal Government, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration, evacuated 161 Nigerian migrants stranded in Libya on Tuesday. Ambassador Kabiru Musa, Chargé D’Affaires En Titre of the Nigerian Mission in Libya stated in Abuja that the Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation exercise was to ensure that migrating Nigerians were not stranded abroad. “They will be received by officials on arrival to facilitate their resettlement and reintegration into the society,’’ Musa stated. He added that beyond repatriation, the Mission, in collaboration with relevant agencies had continued to sensitise Nigerians against irregular migration which is fraught with danger including forced labour, prostitution, and slavery. Musa noted that the Federal Government would not relent in its efforts to ensure that no Nigerian was left stranded or abandoned in detention facilities in Libya.
Turkey has rejected for the 11th time to allow the European Union's naval Operation IRINI team to inspect a ship that the operation described as “suspicious,” according to the Italian Nova news agency. According to the agency, since the launching of Operation IRINI in March 2020, Turkey has refused to allow IRINI, which is tasked with implementing the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations on Libya, to inspect its ships six times in 2021, three times in 2022, and twice in 2023. Operation IRINI's work includes combating illicit arms trafficking, supporting the implementation of the arms embargo imposed on Libya on the basis of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and collecting information on oil smuggling.
The Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Council, Mussa Al-Koni, and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh discussed today the implementation of strategic projects in the south of the country. According to a statement by the council, the two leaders spoke about the activation of Murzuq’s Reconstruction Fund. The two also addressed the problems and difficulties that hinder the provision of services to citizens in many sectors, in particular health, education, infrastructure.
The Libyan Asset Recovery and Management Office (LAROM) announced today ‘‘the forthcoming’’ return of a Libyan C130 aircraft from Malaysia. It explained that the sanctions placed on the aircraft were lifted after successful negotiations with the US State Department. This achievement comes as a result of joint work with internal bodies represented in the memorandum of cooperation signed between LARMO and the Libyan Airforce Command, it added. The breakthrough regarding the Malaysia-based airplane, it continued, occurred on 6 November after rigorous negotiations. Negotiating return of Multiple airplanes and shipsThis achievement, LAMRO stressed, marks the initial phase in the process of negotiating the return of multiple airplanes and ships to Libya from various countries.
LARMO calls for easing Libyan asset-freeze measures to bolster national economy http://lyo.ly/4tvzLibyan PM reiterates keenness to hold elections as soon as possible http://lyo.ly/4tvuMalta expresses readiness to support HNEC http://lyo.ly/4tvfLibya's Fatwa House issues Fatwa to boycott pro-Israel companies http://lyo.ly/4tv8Menfi calls for a broader dialogue to move forward towards elections http://lyo.ly/4ttsUniversity of Benghazi receives WFME team, seeking international accreditation for medical colleges http://lyo.ly/4ttxNOC Chairman says power plants' fuel costs $8 billion a year http://lyo.ly/4tvxLibya, Algeria to announce Nov. 7 resumption of Sonatrach activities in Ghadames Basin http://lyo.ly/4tvtNOC to operate Ras Lanuf factories after 12-year hiatus http://lyo.ly/4tsp74 bodies recovered from Derna graves http://lyo.ly/4tp6Haftar seeks to sign new military deal with Russia http://lyo.ly/4tp0Government completes construction of new school in Zintan http://lyo.ly/4to8Explosion at cooking gas store leaves several injured http://lyo.ly/4to4Wagner mercenaries in Libya on alert for attacks http://lyo.ly/4tn8Libyan ambassador to UN: West is using double standards in tackling war on Gaza http://lyo.ly/4tmlAl-Madar Al-Jadeed confirms its cyber safety http://lyo.ly/4tp9Lumpy skin disease threatens livestock in eastern Libya http://lyo.ly/4tp8Austrian OMV to resume oil exploration in Libya next February http://lyo.ly/4tp774 bodies recovered from Derna graves http://lyo.ly/4tp6US medical team ends visit to flood-hit Derna http://lyo.ly/4tmmOil Minister says Libya can provide Europe with electricity from renewables http://lyo.ly/4tokDbeibah: Medicine for oncology patients will be sent to their houses in 2024 http://lyo.ly/4toz
Sonatrach, Algeria’s state-owned oil company, is resuming gas exploration activities in Libya after years of halt. The Algerian company’s chairman Rachid Hachichi led a “high-level delegation” during his visit to Tripoli today where he met with the chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC), Farhat Bengdara, to “formalize the resumption process”, according to a statement by Sonatrach. “At this meeting, Mr. Bengdara welcomed the review of Sonatrach’s activities in partnership with NOC and expressed his willingness to promote bilateral partnership and strengthen cooperative relations,” said the Algerian company. Sonatrach stated that “a group of high-level experts, bringing together the specialists of the two partners, will work to implement the technical aspects of this resumption of activity, during working meetings scheduled for November 8, 2023.”
Russia plans a naval base on the black sea coast of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia. The decision comes on the back of several attacks on Russia’s black sea fleet that have embarrassed the Kremlin. After the 2008 war, Moscow recognised the independence of Abkhazia and another Moscow-backed separatist region, south Ossetia. In July, Russia exited a deal guaranteeing safe passage for cargo ships to and from Ukraine’s black sea ports. Ukraine last month struck the headquarters of Russia’s black sea fleet on the annexed Crimean peninsula, in a major humiliation for Moscow.
