Today, 22 January 2024, the Third Administrative Chamber of the Tripoli Court of Appeal took an important action in the ongoing high-profile litigation against NOC Chairman Farhat Bengdara. Specifically, the Court granted an interim order freezing the implementation of a corporate directive issued by Mr. Bengdara until the court can rule on whether his appointment as NOC Chairman should be invalidated on the grounds of his alleged dual Libya-UAE citizenship. A dual citizenship allegedly contravenes the Nationality Law (Law No. 24 of 2010) and the stipulations regarding public employment in Labour Relations Law (Law No. (libyaherald.com)NOC welcomes Aldabaiba’s reversal of Oil Minister’s decision to suspend chairman Sanalla (libyaherald.com)

The Attorney General’s Office announced that a person suspected of intentionally trafficking counterfeit medicines was arrested at Benghazi’s Benina Airport last Saturday (20 January). The suspect is accused of adulterating of the pain relief (Panadol – Paracetamol) and blood sugar regulating (Janumet – Sitagliptin, Metformin) medicines by counterfeit packages whose descriptions matched those of the approved drug packages to indicate the availability of its registered characteristics. The packages are then filled with ineffective materials and falsely marketed.

A delegation from the Narcotics and Psychotropic Drug Control Agency of the Libyan Ministry of the Interior is visiting the EMCDDA today for the first time. To date, Libyan representatives have taken part in several regional activities under the EU4Monitoring Drugs project, focusing on capacity building and data collection. In 2023, three representatives took part in a training session on building national drug observatories. Over the two days, the delegation will also meet representatives of the Portuguese Reitox focal point (ICAD) to discuss Portuguese drug policy. This meeting will offer the chance for the visiting delegation to present the Libyan drug policy framework and learn about the role of a national focal point and the use of data for the planning and monitoring national drug policy.

Libya’s Al Sharara Back in ProductionBy Mohammed Jetutu, in CairoThe prospect of Libya producing less than 900,000 Barrels per day of crude in January 2024, still remains, but the country has had a reprieve with the return of the Al Sharara field to production. Al Sharara is one of the largest single accumulations on duty in the country, with a production capacity of more than 300,000 barrels per day of oil. Production from block NC186 started in 2003. Al Sharara output has been, however, severely challenged since a NATO backed militia ousted Libya strongman Moamer Ghaddafi in 2011. What could be termed a relatively steady production at the Al Sharara field resumed in January 2017 after a two-year closure caused by a pipeline blockade from November 2014 to December 2016.

Libya’s National Oil Corp. (NOC) has lifted force majeure on its giant El-Sharara oil field, which accounts for about a quarter of the country’s crude oil output, and was shut down for almost three weeks. The state firm confirmed the field restart on Jan. 21 while operator Repsol confirmed El-Sharara would ramp up to 260,000 barrels of oil per day over the coming days. Before the shutdown in January, NOC had enjoyed a period of production stability, pumping an average 1.2 million b/d per month over the last year. Upstream InvestmentThe field shutdown occurred ahead of a recent conference held in Libya’s capital on Jan. 13-14. El-Sharara is operated by state Akakus Oil Operations, a joint venture of Repsol, TotalEnergies, OMV, Equinor and NOC.

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FILE - Newly elected 'International Organization for Migration' (OIM) director general Amy Pope, from the U.S. speaks during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, May 15, 2023. The U.N.'s migration agency is launching its first “global appeal” that seeks $7.9 billion to help people on the move and ensure smoother pathways to migration at a time when the fallout from climate change, conflict and both economic and political distress and opportunity has caused millions to leave their homes.

The meeting also tackled the current tensions in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Iraq, Syria, and the Red Sea and that are intertwined with the Gaza War. The two officials also discussed the armed conflict in Sudan so as Minister Shokry expressed hope that EU would help on the humanitarian level. In that framework, he expressed keenness on boosting cooperation with the EU in the fields of legal migration, vocational training programmes, and technical education. In a related context, Minister Shokry warned of the repercussions of the crises in Sudan, Libya, and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Further, he discussed migration-related affairs with EU Commissioner for Promoting European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas.

Libya’s state-owned energy firm said Sunday production had resumed at Al-Sharara oilfield, which provides a quarter of the country’s daily oil output, two weeks after protests led to a shutdown. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the “lifting of force majeure” and the resumption of “full production” at Al-Sharara, which normally produces up to 315,000 barrels per day. The NOC on January 7 declared “force majeure” at the southwestern oilfield “due to the closure of the site by protesters”. According to the protest group, they have received “guarantees” from military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who backs one of Libya’s two rival administrations. Declaring “force majeure” allows parties to free themselves from contractual obligations when factors such as fighting or natural disasters make meeting them impossible.

The company’s CEO, Mohammed Gabaj, engaged in a discussion with Energy Capital & Power, shedding light on pivotal topics such as technology advancement, decarbonization initiatives, and investment opportunities within the Libyan energy sector. Considering Libya’s oil and gas sector challenges and market dynamics, how does Saraya Oil drive technological change in the country? Saraya aims to solve age-old issues in Libya’s oil and gas sector by introducing modern, globally developed solutions. Are there any ongoing projects or collaborations between Saraya Oil and the National Oil Corporation? The summit provides an opportunity for Saraya Oil to showcase solutions to challenges in Libya’s oil and gas sector.

Oil & Lubes2 min readLibya resumes production at major oilfield after two-week haltThe National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the "lifting of force majeure" and the resumption of "full production" at Al-Sharara, which normally produces up to 315,000 barrels per day.

Credit: PoliciaNacional/XRecently, the National Police made a significant breakthrough involving the illegal export of an anti-drone system to Libya. On the morning of Thursday, January 18 five individuals were apprehended in Madrid and Valencia. They are implicated in the illegal export of an anti-drone system worth over €2 million, intended for Tripoli Airport in Libya. Seizures and legal proceedingsDuring simultaneous raids in Valencia and Madrid, the police seized substantial digital and technological evidence. The seized items and the ongoing legal proceedings mark a significant stride in the battle against illegal arms trade and international smuggling.

The 444 Brigade, an armed group affiliated with the Government of National Unity’s defense ministry, has announced an “unprecedented strike” on fuel smugglers and human traffickers in the desert. In a message via Facebook, the Turkish-trained armed group announced the seizure of “convoys of tank trucks in the desert carrying smuggled fuel out of the country” and “cars full of irregular migrants coming from abroad to cross the sea ”. The Libyan brigade commanded by Mahmoud Hamza, a militiaman and follower of Salafist Islam, denounced the presence of “organised international gangs from Ethiopia, Eritrea and other countries in the desert area near Fezzan, in southern Libya”. The group published images of at least seven seized tank trucks and twelve Toyota off-road vehicles on Facebook.

Tanks belonging to Transneft, a Russian state-owned company that operates the country's oil pipelines, at the Ust-Luga oil terminal. Oil prices rose Monday after Ukraine reportedly attacked a major Russia fuel terminal over the weekend, raising renewed concerns about supply disruptions. The Ust-Luga facility on the Baltic Sea exports 1.35 million barrels per day of crude oil, fuel and refined products, according to data from Kpler. "The Ukrainian drone attack on the Baltic port raises the question: Is this going to be a policy decision by Ukrainians to attack Russian oil infrastructure? OPEC, on the other hand, has presented a stronger outlook with oil demand forecast to grow by 2.2 million barrels per day, while production outside OPEC will grow by 1.3 million barrels per day.

The eastern based Libyan government announced yesterday that it had signed what it called ‘‘major contracts’’ with Egyptian companies for the construction of 11 new bridges in Derna, Benghazi, and Ajdabiya. The eastern based government reported that the signing ceremony included agreements with Ibrahim Al-Arjani, CEO of Neom Egyptian Company, and Hani Dahi, CEO of Wadi Al-Nile Company. The projects encompass the construction of six new bridges in Derna, namely the Sea Bridge, Wadi Al-Naqa Bridge, Mosque Al-Sahaba Bridge, Wadi 1 Bridge, Wadi 2 Bridge, and Wadi 3 Bridge. In Ajdabiya, two bridges will be constructed, including the Central City Bridge and the Intersection Bridge between the Ring Road and Tobruk Road. In Benghazi, three new bridges are planned: the Intersection Bridge at Al-Jarat Island, the Al-Salam Island Bridge at the eastern entrance of the city, and the Intersection Bridge at Al-Hawari Road with the Cement Factory.