The National Oil Corp (NOC) said a leak-induced blaze that hit the Sharara crude pipeline had cut about half of production at the field, one of Libya’s biggest with a declared capacity of 330,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The NOC said in an online statement Thursday, “If the current operational plan proceeds as expected, production should return to normal within the next 24 hours”.
The NOC reported the fire Wednesday, saying it had been caused by a leak at one of the valves on the pipeline from the Sharara field. The leak occurred at kilometer 538 near Bir al-Marhan in Hamada, the NOC said on its website.
Wednesday’s notice said some flows had been redirected to the El Feel pipeline to the Mellitah port while the remainder had been diverted through the Hamada pipeline to storage tanks in Zawiya. “These measures have significantly reduced losses”, the NOC said.
On Thursday the NOC said the fire had been extinguished and that the cooling phase was underway.
“Maintenance teams will assess the damage, and repair work will begin immediately afterward”, the NOC said Thursday.
Sharara can produce up to 330,000 bpd, according to news information from the NOC website. Sharara crude goes through a 723-kilometer (449.25 miles) long pipeline to the Zawiya Tank Farm on Libya’s northern coast, where the oil is dispatched for shipping to the global market. Midway through the route, the Hamada pumping station helps maintain the flow until oil reaches Zawiya, Akakus Oil Operations Co, the Sharara consortium between the NOC and international partners, says on its website.
Damaged Russian Tanker
In a separate incident the NOC reported Saturday a Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas had been damaged in Libyan waters and that an international company had been hired to manage response.
“Once it became clear that the damaged vessel was gradually nearing the Libyan coast due to wind and wave conditions, NOC moved quickly to limit the damage caused by its presence in Libyan territorial waters and to reduce the risk of pollution along the Libyan coastline”, the NOC said. It assured “managing this environmental threat is fully achievable”.
The NOC said the vessel would be towed to one of the country’s ports in coordination with Libya’s Ports Authority.
To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com
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