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Rebels capture of refinery to cause 'big crisis' in Tripoli
August 20, 2011, Saturday
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LIBYAN rebels pushing to cut off Tripoli have taken complete control of a key oil refinery at Zawiyah that is the only source of fuel to the capital, the manager there said yesterday.
The capture of Zawiyah refinery, around 40 kilometers west of Tripoli, will cause a "big crisis" in the capital, the only remaining manager at the installation, Mohammed el-Halluj, said yesterday.
"For Tripoli the feed of fuel is only from here; there's no other point," Halluj said as fighting between rebels and loyalists continued in the nearby coastal city of Zawiyah.
"There's no fuel, diesel or gasoline or even LPG which is needed for cooking" getting to Tripoli, he said. "So this will be a big crisis; not a problem, a big crisis."
Halluj was not around when rebels came and flushed out loyalist snipers over the past few days, but armed rebels stood guard at the plant's gates yesterday while others drove their pickups in to collect free fuel.
Halluj said the refinery had around 10 million liters of petrol still in its tanks.
The refinery has a normal output capacity of 120,000 barrels per day and is usually supplied with crude from an oil field 700 kilometers away or from sea borne tankers.
The pipeline has been cut off by rebels and NATO aircraft, and ships backing the rebels prevent tankers arriving.
Halluj said the refinery is secure and undamaged despite the fighting and could start refining again once crude can arrive.
"It's 100 percent safe. Thank God, nothing was damaged," he said. "Just when we receive the crude we can start again.
-AFP
The capture of Zawiyah refinery, around 40 kilometers west of Tripoli, will cause a "big crisis" in the capital, the only remaining manager at the installation, Mohammed el-Halluj, said yesterday.
"For Tripoli the feed of fuel is only from here; there's no other point," Halluj said as fighting between rebels and loyalists continued in the nearby coastal city of Zawiyah.
"There's no fuel, diesel or gasoline or even LPG which is needed for cooking" getting to Tripoli, he said. "So this will be a big crisis; not a problem, a big crisis."
Halluj was not around when rebels came and flushed out loyalist snipers over the past few days, but armed rebels stood guard at the plant's gates yesterday while others drove their pickups in to collect free fuel.
Halluj said the refinery had around 10 million liters of petrol still in its tanks.
The refinery has a normal output capacity of 120,000 barrels per day and is usually supplied with crude from an oil field 700 kilometers away or from sea borne tankers.
The pipeline has been cut off by rebels and NATO aircraft, and ships backing the rebels prevent tankers arriving.
Halluj said the refinery is secure and undamaged despite the fighting and could start refining again once crude can arrive.
"It's 100 percent safe. Thank God, nothing was damaged," he said. "Just when we receive the crude we can start again.
-AFP
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