A Greek tanker has been prevented from berthing in Libya as the country's civil struggle continues to hamper export efforts.
State producer National Oil Corp (NOC) said the 157,000-dwt suezmax Delta Ocean (built 2010) was due to dock at Es Sider on Wednesday.
NOC added that it had attempted "a technical process" to load the Delta Tankers ship.
But it said: "Regrettably, the Petroleum Facilities Guard did not allow the tanker to enter the port."
Vessel tracking data showed the vessel underway in the eastern Mediterranean on Thursday morning, west of Benghazi in eastern Libya.
Talks continue
"NOC is ready to restart oil exports immediately," company chairman Mustafa Sanalla said. "NOC reaffirms its call for all Libyan parties to facilitate its work, in line with the clear Libyan and international consensus that the NOC should lift force majeure and resume its vital mission.
"The NOC is consulting with all parties to find a way forward that will ensure the safety of NOC facilities and personnel."
Es Sider is one of five eastern Libyan ports shut down in January by forces linked to the rebel Libyan National Army (LNA) as part of the country's civil war.
The six-month halt to most Libyan oil production is degrading the quality of its crude and raising the likelihood of volumes never recovering to previous levels, NOC has warned.
Reservoir fluids, including oil, condensate and water, which had previously rested in equilibrium, may mix and form thick emulsions that restrict further production of oil, the company said.
Sulphur content rising
NOC is already expecting water encroachment at the Sara oil field, as well as a decrease in well productivity. Some wells will have to be shut, the company has warned.
"In some fields, we are concerned about bacterial growth which will change the characteristics of the oil," Sanalla said. "Libyan oil is valued for being low in sulphur. The bacteria will raise the sulphur content, making it less valuable."
Maintenance is being held up, due in part to a lack of cash as the nation has lost $6.5bn in halted production.
NOC produced an average of 1.22m barrels per day (bpd) at the start of the year.
The company had hoped to raise this to 2.1m bpd by 2024, but it said on Wednesday that the figure for 2022 may only be 650,000 bpd in 2022, in the absence of an immediate restart.
