NOC Tanker Refused Berth in Libya

Officials at Libya's Zueitina oil port have not authorized a tanker contracted by Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation (NOC) to berth, port and industry sources said on Thursday.

Zueitina is one of the oil ports that the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) said it would transfer to a parallel NOC, which is based in the eastern city of Benghazi, after fighting this month at the Ras Lanuf and Es Sider terminals.

One tanker, the Felicity, finished loading at Zueitina on Thursday under contract from NOC in Tripoli but a second tanker, Amore Mio II, was waiting in the port area without permission to berth, sources said.

The head of the parallel NOC, Faraj Said, said he had ordered ports to prevent the entry of any tanker not authorized by his office.

An engineer at Zueitina port confirmed that the Amore Mio II, which was due to pick up 600,000 barrels, was waiting because Said had requested that it not be loaded.

(Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli, Aidan Lewis and Ahmad Ghaddar Editing by Edmund Blair)