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An important Statement
An Armed militia belong to Abedelkarim Alrouni prevents NOC maintenance teams from doing their work.
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) confirms that an armed militia commanded by a person called Abedelkarim Alrouni has prevented the maintenance teams affiliated to Akakus Oil Operations from opening Alhamada valve in order to pump chemical substances that would help protect the transfer line from corrosion.
As we have already warned technical problems resulted from the blockade of the petroleum installations started to appear by the corrosion and collapse of the Tank D101B at the area of tank GOSP 115 of 16,000 barrels at Sharara Field occurred yesterday morning because of the formation of a pond of crude oil at the tanks area which predicts the occurrence of many technical and environmental problems in the oil sector.
At that point, Akakus Oil Operations and the National Oil Corporation made emergency communications and consultations after which it was decided that the maintenance teams be instructed to check the pipelines and valves and open them in order to pump the chemical substances to protect the lines and prepare to discharge the crude from the tanks and start the maintenance and operations process.
However, our workers were surprised Saturday morning 30, May 2020 by the stubbornness of the so-called Abedelkarim Alrouni the Commander of the militia controlling the location and his preventing the maintenance teams from opening the valve and checking the pipelines indifferent to the size of the damage incurred by such criminal and irresponsible acts.
As the National Oil Corporation reaffirms that it is a merely economic body whose duty is to manage the oil sector and support the national economy, it renews its full right to defend itself and protect Libya’s oil installations from tampering by all legal means available and pursuant to to the local and international laws.
The National Oil Corporation has addressed the Office of the Attorney General to report the blockades, the persons and parties involved in these heinous criminal acts and asked for an immediate investigation in these crimes which will have serious consequences on the infrastructure of the oil sector and will certainly hinder NOC’s endeavours to preserve its installations and resume production in its previous levels in future.
NOC calls for the good people of Zintan to prevail the higher interest of the country and reveal the social, tribal and legal shelter of those committing these crimes as well as working on helping the general prosecution to arrest them and bring them to justice and make an example of them.
We must remember that the losses of the State of Libya resulted from closing of the oil pipelines and ports have exceeded 5 billion dollars and amounted to US $ 5,026,074,163. These amounts could have been used in combating the coronavirus pandemic, pay the employees’ salaries, maintenance schools, hospitals and the destroyed infrastructure. This issue predicts a huge economic disaster according to economists.
Tripoli on 30 May 2020
