Libya's largest oil port, Es-Sider, has
restarted loadings, the head of the national oil company said Monday, lifting
the most important hurdle standing in the way of a return to normal exports
following the end of civil war.
Nuri Berruien, chairman of Libya's National Oil Co., told Dow Jones
Newswires a tanker had been loaded and said "there will be another one in
a few days."
Es-Sider loaded 447,000 barrels a day in January 2011, according to the
International Energy Agency, before becoming Libya's most heavily damaged terminal
during the civil war. The need to repair the Es-Sider facility has been a
stumbling block in the otherwise rapid recovery of the country's oil sector.
The facility normally loads production from the giant Waha Oil Co., whose
foreign partners are Marathon Oil Corp. (MRO), ConocoPhillips (COP) and Hess
Corp. (HES).
A Libyan official has previously said that at least 10 cargoes--typically of
600,000 barrels each--are expected this month from Waha through Es-Sider.
Berruien also said a smaller terminal, Brega, was set to restart soon.