Libya refinery fires contained after drone attacks

Libya's National Oil Corporation said Tuesday evening that all fires at the Zawiya oil refinery had been contained after drone attacks hit the complex west of Tripoli.

Hamdi al-Bishti, head of the Brega Oil Company, which runs the refinery, told AFP that a large gasoline reservoir caught fire and collapsed Monday night after it was struck by a drone. He said another drone fell near a second tank without causing casualties.

The National Oil Corporation said another drone had targeted the complex but caused no damage. It said the tank contained about 4.5 million litres of gasoline and declared a state of emergency Monday night.

Firefighting and cooling operations on adjacent tanks had been underway since the night of the strike to stop the fire spreading. Bishti said it had been difficult to fully contain the blaze because the tank was filled with gasoline.

Authorities have not identified who was behind the attacks.

The Tripoli-based government condemned the strikes as “an escalation that will not go unpunished” and vowed to pursue those responsible. Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said the attacks were a direct threat to citizens, workers and vital infrastructure.

The latest attacks came days after similar drone strikes targeted a naphtha reservoir and a water desalination plant over the weekend.

The reservoir is part of Libya's second-largest oil refinery, which has a refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. Brega said the site held diesel, kerosene, gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas intended to fuel power stations in western Libya.

Libya has Africa's most abundant oil reserves but has faced violence and instability since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Two governments are vying for power: the UN-recognised administration in Tripoli led by Dbeibah and a rival authority in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.