Libyan crude production hit by pipeline leak

A pipeline leak has cut Libyan crude production by around 200,000 b/d, a Libyan shipping source said today.

The incident is affecting state-owned NOC's Waha Oil subsidiary, whose output has dropped to around 80,000 b/d. Engineers are evaluating the extent of the damage, with repairs expected to last 7-10 days.

Waha Oil's production feeds into Libya's flagship grade Es Sider, which is exported from the same-named terminal. Es Sider exports averaged 187,000 b/d in September, according to Argus tracking. Preliminary loading dates show around 290,000 b/d of Es Sider exports this month.

Argus estimates that Libyan's total crude output stood at 1.12mn b/d last month.

By Ruxandra Iordache