Crude loadings from Libya’s Mellitah port are under force majeure due to the closure of the El Feel oil field, a spokesman at state-owned National Oil Corporation said Monday. The spokesman said force majeure was declared Sunday evening after Libya’s vulnerable El Feel, or Elephant, oil field was shut down again December 5, due to an “unlawful valve closure” on an export pipeline causing a loss of 73,000 b/d. Crude from El Feel is pumped via an export pipeline to Mellitah. Crude exports from the Mellitah export terminal have recently averaged 80,000-110,000 b/d, according to Platts estimates. The oil exported from Mellitah is normally a blend of Wafa condensate and El Feel crude. Sources said production at the Wafa fields remained stable. The El Feel field in the southwest of the country has been a flashpoint between rival groups vying for control of Libya’s oil facilities. The […]