A pipeline south of Libya’s Zawiya city was shut down Saturday following a significant oil leak, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) confirmed.
The pipeline, which channels crude from the Hamada oilfields, was closed as a precaution after a rupture released oil into the surrounding desert.
Zawiya, located 40 kilometres west of Tripoli, hosts Libya’s largest operational refinery, capable of processing 120,000 barrels of oil per day.
This refinery is a crucial node, linked directly to the Sharara oilfield, which produces around 300,000 barrels per day.
The NOC released an image depicting a stream of crude staining the arid landscape, underscoring the urgency of the response effort.
“Flow was immediately halted,” the company stated, adding that technical teams are now conducting maintenance and on-site investigations.
Specialists have been deployed to determine the cause of the leak and to assess potential environmental damage in the affected zone.
The NOC said recovery operations are underway, with coordination in place to clean the spill and contain further contamination.
No timeline was provided for when the pipeline would resume operations, and authorities have yet to estimate the volume of the spill.
Libya’s oil infrastructure, vital to its economy, has long been vulnerable to technical failures and political instability.
The latest incident highlights ongoing challenges in safeguarding energy assets critical to both domestic supply and global markets.
