The oil world's most difficult job
NOC’s chairman fears a disaster if his company is dragged into the war for Libya’s oil
Many oilmen are under pressure around the world, but none more than Mustafa Sanallah, chairman of Libya's National Oil Company (NOC) and, given the two-year-old conflict that has left rival governments and their allied militias fighting for control, the country's de facto oil minister. Sanallah's job ought to be straightforward, keeping Libya's high-quality oil flowing out and money flowing in. Instead, since 2014, Libya's post-Qadhafi chaos has only deepened and the NOC chief 's task has become steadily harder. In 2011, Libya produced about 1.6m barrels a day. Now it is struggling to keep output above 200,000 b/d. Most fields are idle; some, in the once-prolific Sirte basin, were severely d
Also in this section
21 February 2025
While large-scale planned LNG schemes in sub-Saharan Africa have faced fresh problems, FLNG projects are stepping into that space
20 February 2025
Greater social mobility means increased global demand for refined fuels and petrochemical products, with Asia leading the way in the expansion of refining capacity
19 February 2025
The EU would do well to ease its gas storage requirements to avoid heavy purchase costs this summer, with the targets having created market distortion while giving sellers a significant advantage over buyers
18 February 2025
Deliveries to China decline by around 1m b/d from move to curb crude exports to Shandong port, putting Iran under further economic pressure
