Libya Finds Missile Debris Near Oil Pipeline After Fire Damage

Libya’s interior ministry said two exploded projectiles were found near the damaged Shahara pipeline, including a Russian-made M-62 missile weighing approximately 250 kg and fragments of a 130 mm rocket. The ministry stated that “the projectiles were handled according to approved technical and security procedures” and the site was secured.

The incident followed a fire last week that forced the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to reroute crude flows from the Sharara field. Oil was redirected via the El Feel pipeline to Mellitah port and through the Hamada pipeline to storage facilities in Zawiya, about 40 km west of Tripoli.

The disruption triggered a full shutdown of the El Feel oilfield since Thursday, according to two engineers. Production is expected to resume within 7 to 10 days, though timelines remain dependent on repairs and site security.

Sharara is Libya’s largest oilfield, with a capacity of between 300,000 and 320,000 barrels per day (bpd). It feeds into the Zawiya refinery, which processes around 120,000 bpd. The El Feel field contributes an additional 80,000 to 90,000 bpd under normal conditions.

The shutdown of El Feel and rerouting of Sharara output underline the fragility of Libya’s oil network, where single-point disruptions can cascade across multiple facilities.

Sharara is operated by Acacus Oil Company, a joint venture between NOC and international firms including Repsol, TotalEnergies, OMV and Equinor. El Feel is managed by Mellitah Oil and Gas, a partnership between NOC and Italy’s Eni.

Libya currently produces between 1.4 million and 1.5 million barrels per day and holds Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at 48.4 billion barrels.

Libya’s oil production has faced repeated shutdowns since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Both political disputes and technical incidents have periodically halted output, affecting global supply flows.

The discovery of military-grade Russian-made munitions reflects Libya’s fragmented post-2011 security landscape, where legacy Eastern Bloc weapons remain widely circulated among rival armed groups. Investigations are ongoing, but current evidence points to internal dynamics rather than external threats.