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
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
22 April 2026
Sustained strikes on ports, terminals and refineries are testing the resilience of Russia’s oil export system, yet rapid repairs, rerouting and surging prices mean the campaign has yet to deliver a decisive blow
21 April 2026
After overcoming a COVID-induced demand collapse with several years of successful market management, geopolitical events have conspired to provide the pact’s biggest test to date
21 April 2026
The regime’s policy of using nuclear ambiguity as a deterrent may have failed but it has realised it has other cards to play, while its neighbours are reappraising their approach to security
