In Tripoli, cargo and passenger ships are coming in small numbers from Italy and Malta. There are also domestic ferries that work along the Libyan coastline. The port is assessed to be secure and is under the control of the rebels and local police. One point of note is the risk posed by celebratory fire, often fired out to sea, however, the NTC has been attempting to clamp down on the practice. An NTC official stated that the authority is keen to restart crude oil exports in two to three weeks. Officials have also set a target of ramping up production to 500,000 bpd within one month, however, it remains unclear whether this is an overly ambitious target. Production plummeted from pre-conflict levels of 1.6 million bpd in January to around 60,000 bpd following the outbreak of unrest. The same NTC official stated that operations at the 120,000 bpd Zawiyah refinery near Tripoli have been underway for around two weeks. The plant is reportedly processing 30,000 bpd at present, and the official claimed that it will reach full capacity in six to eight weeks. Further, the export facility in the city of Tabruk is reported to be undamaged. The official also stated that the NTC plans to honour all previously existing contracts with foreign companies that were signed under the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. Oil production is set to begin to increase over the coming weeks and the NTC will be keen to encourage international oil companies to return and
assist in repairing damaged facilities.
Update on Libyan Ports
