Libya’s largest operational oil refinery, located in Zawiya, has been shut down and an emergency declared following fighting between armed groups in the vicinity, Al Jazeera reported.
According to the report, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) and Zawiya Refining Company announced in a statement that operations were being “precautionarily halted” and that employees had been evacuated from the oil complex and port.
The NOC confirmed that all employees are safe and added that fuel supplies would continue as normal.
A Facebook statement noted that alarm sirens were activated “following armed clashes involving heavy weapons that erupted around the oil complex in the early hours of Friday.”
“These clashes resulted in several heavy weapons projectiles landing in various locations within the oil complex,” the statement said, adding that no significant damage had been reported.
“However, the clashes have intensified and reached the residential area adjacent to the refinery, making the area a direct target for heavy shelling and significantly increasing the risk of further damage,” it added.
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