(Bloomberg) -- A Suezmax oil tanker left empty from Libya’s Hariga port because striking security guards stopped it from loading, underscoring the fragility of the OPEC nation’s recent surge in exports.
The Front Cruiser is the first vessel to withdraw from the port without taking on a cargo since the strike began last month, according to a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be identified because they lack authorization to speak to media. Members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard have also threatened to halt cargoes at two other eastern ports, Ras Lanuf and Es Sider, in a dispute over delayed salary payments.
Libya’s output rose from almost zero to nearly 1.25 million barrels daily after a blockade of ports and fields by eastern-based armed forces ended in September. A tentative peace in the North African country’s civil war led to the lifting of the blockade. However, the state energy company is struggling to maintain the recovery due to the dilapidated condition of many pipelines and other facilities, as well as strikes at ports.
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