Libyan oil workers have been celebrating after the ruling NTC appeared to endorse their demands that an oil executive thought too close to the ousted Gaddafi regime be removed from office.
In a move which the NTC hopes will see workers at Waha Oil Company restart production, Ali Tarhouni, the NTC’s oil and finance minister, met with striking (video) workers and reportedly agreed to the removal of Waha chairman Bashir Elshaha. No official confirmation of Elshaha has yet been reported.
Production could restart within days if workers reutrn to the fields, with the main facities at each site undamaged. Khaled Othman, a workers’ representative quoted by Down Jones, said production could reach 50,000 bpd within ten days, and that Gialo had only suffered damage and looting to accomodation.
Waha operates the eponymous field and neighbouring Gialo that together produced around 340,000 barrels per day (bpd) before the war and other assets, bring the company’s total to over 350,00 bpd. The company is a joint venture between the NOC, Hess, Marathon and ConocoPhillips.
