Country ... Libya
Rebel / Oil

'If You Leave, We Will Bomb': Oil Tanker at Rebel-Held Libyan Port

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

'If You Leave, We Will Bomb': Oil Tanker at Rebel-Held Libyan Port

A North Korean-flagged tanker has completed loading crude at the Libyan rebel-held port of Es Sider but has not yet departed from the terminal, oil officials stated Monday, after the government had threatened to bomb the ship.

Libya has stated it will attack the Morning Glory if the tanker tries sailing off with crude from the Es Sider port.

The port is one of three seized by armed rebels demanding a greater share of oil revenues and political independence.

Libya's Prime Minister Ali Zeidan

A senior oil official commented, 'The tanker has finished loading but is still anchored in Es Sider. The cargo is valued at close to $30 million.

State-run National Oil Corp (NOC) stated that it would sue anyone attempting to purchase the oil. In a statement, the company said, 'NOC will...enforce its rights over the cargo and hold responsible all the parties participating in illicit transactions relating to it in any jurisdiction, both within and outside of Libya.'

The 37,000-tonne tanker docked at Es Sider on Saturday. NOC says the vessel is owned by a Saudi company, but it is as yet unclear where it might be trying to sail.

On Sunday, the government reported that the navy and pro-government militias had dispatched boats to stop the tanker from departing. The rebels said that any attack on the tanker would be considered 'a declaration of war.'

The Morning Glory

The row over oil wealth is exacerbating concerns that Libya is on the verge of sliding deeper into chaos, or even splintering, as the besieged government fails to rein in fighters who helped overthrow Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and who now persistently defy state authority.

The rebels are led by a former anti-Gaddafi commander, Ibrahim Jathran, who led thousands in seizing three eastern ports in the country.

Libyan rebel leader Ibrahim Jathran

In January, the navy opened fire on a Malta-flagged tanker attempting to approach Es Sider.

Political infighting has weakened the authority of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. Talks to end the blockage have reached an impasse.

Libya has been attempting to rebuild its military since Gaddafi's ousting, but analysts say it is not yet adequately strong to confront militias that fought in the eight-month uprising that resulted in his overthrow.