A Greece-flagged oil tanker, New Hellas, entered Zueitina terminal, which lies 140 km to the west of Benghazi, to start transferring 600 thousand barrels of crude oil to Al-Zawiya oil refinery in western Libya.
The Zueitina terminal has not exported oil since last November as the oil terminal has an oil stockpile of four million barrels, two of which to be transferred and the other two will remain in the terminal in order to preserve the depots.
Transferring the oil stockpile comes amidst growing calls by the National Oil Corporation to move the oil that is stored in Zueitina terminal to Al-Zawiya refinery so it is safe and out of reach as there is fear that tension might get escalated in the terminal and clashes break out jeopardizing the oil depots.
A force affiliated with Khalifa Haftar’s militias attacked Zueitina oil terminal last week aiming at controlling it when it clashed with the so-called Petroleum Facilities Guard, led by Ibrahim Jodran, and then had to pull out to position itself next to the terminal and vow that another offensive is soon to come.
