Direct strike ignites 4.5-million-liter gasoline tank at Libya’s Zawiya refinery
A direct strike caused a severe fire and the collapse of a tank holding about 4.5 million liters of gasoline at Libya’s Zawiya refinery. The National Oil Corporation declared a maximum emergency, although refinery engineers said operations continued without interruption.
Gasoline tank collapses after direct strike
A tank holding an estimated 4.5 million liters of motor gasoline caught fire and collapsed after a direct strike at Libya’s Zawiya refinery, according to the state-owned National Oil Corporation. The NOC declared a maximum emergency in the area and called for an urgent intervention by the relevant authorities and a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances behind the incident.
Al Brega Oil Marketing Company, an NOC subsidiary responsible for fuel supplies, said the fire broke out on Monday and sent thick clouds of smoke above the refinery. It described the incident as an attack but said the circumstances and cause remained unknown. Firefighting teams were working to contain the blaze, while the company assessed the damage and promised further information once confirmed.
Largest operating refinery remains online
Zawiya has refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day and lies about 40 kilometers west of Tripoli. It is Libya’s largest refinery while the Ras Lanuf refinery remains out of operation, giving the site an important role in supplying fuels to the domestic market. Two engineers working at Zawiya told Asharq Al-Awsat that the refinery continued operating without any shutdown despite the tank fire.
The refinery is connected to the Sharara oil field, which produces about 300,000 barrels per day. No interruption to that connection, refinery throughput or product deliveries was reported in the available statements. The immediate operational risk therefore centers on the damaged gasoline storage infrastructure and the ability of firefighters to prevent the blaze from affecting other units or tanks.
Second incident at Zawiya within days
The fire followed another incident at the refinery two days earlier. In the early hours of Saturday, a drone struck a tank containing untreated naphtha, causing a leak that workers managed to bring under control. The two events place renewed attention on security around a refinery that combines crude-processing capacity, fuel storage and a direct link to one of Libya’s largest producing oil fields.
Unverified footage circulated online showed large flames and columns of black smoke over the city of Zawiya. The NOC’s statement confirmed that the gasoline tank was completely destroyed, but neither the corporation nor Al Brega provided an estimate of the financial loss, the amount of fuel consumed by the fire or a timetable for replacing the tank.
Fuel supply exposure depends on damage assessment
The loss of a 4.5-million-liter gasoline cargo reduces storage availability at a facility central to Libya’s fuel system. However, continued refinery operation limits the immediate effect on processing capacity. The consequences for wholesalers, distributors and motorists will depend on whether product loading and dispatch can continue normally and whether other storage capacity can absorb output from the refinery.
The possibility of declaring force majeure was raised in reporting around the incident, but the available NOC statement announced a maximum emergency rather than confirming force majeure. Such a declaration would require clarity about affected contractual obligations or deliveries. Until the damage assessment is completed, the main confirmed facts remain the destruction of the gasoline tank, ongoing firefighting efforts and uninterrupted refinery operations as reported by the two engineers.