In brief
On 30 October 2026, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced that it had suspended crude pumping from the Hamada oil fields to the Zawiya refinery after an armed group reportedly shut a valve on the main pipeline. The sudden closure caused a sharp pressure spike that forced technical teams to halt operations to protect safety, with estimates that continued shutdown could lose about 15,000 barrels of crude per day. The NOC urged authorities to reopen the valve promptly, citing growing risks to oil facilities from attacks. The incident underscores unresolved questions about who shut the valve, why they acted, and when pumping will resume.
On 30 October 2026, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced it had ceased pumping crude from the Hamada fields to the Zawiya refinery after an armed group reportedly shut a valve on the main Hamada pipeline.
The pipeline runs from the northwestern inland fields of Hamada directly to the Zawiya refinery on Libya’s north‑west coast, west of Tripoli. It supplies the refinery with the bulk of its crude input.
When the valve was turned off, the sudden loss of flow created a sharp pressure spike in the line. Technical teams therefore shut down pumping to protect the refinery’s safety and avoid potential over‑pressure damage.
Because the main pipeline had been carrying roughly 15,000 barrels of crude per day, the NOC warned that ongoing closure would result in that much loss if the valve remained shut.
In a statement, the NOC called on relevant authorities to take the necessary measures to reopen the valve and resume pumping as soon as possible, emphasizing the need to protect oil facilities from attacks that threaten production and supply continuity.
Sources say the armed group that shut the valve is not identified. No official statement has been issued by the group or by government or security officials confirming the specific entity involved.
The incident raises concerns about the security of other oil pipelines in the country. NOC has highlighted that attacks on oil facilities are an increasing threat to both production and export capacity.
For the Zawiya refinery, the loss of crude feed could affect its ability to operate at full capacity. The refinery is one of the country’s largest, and it processes a significant portion of Libya’s final fuel products.
There is no indication yet that alternative supply routes have been arranged to compensate for the halted production from the Hamada fields.
The uncertainties that remain include the identity of the armed group involved, their motivations for shutting the valve, the timeline for reopening the valve, and the broader implications for Libya’s oil infrastructure security.
