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This Issue: Upheaval in North Africa
For once it is not West African hittling the headlines because of political unrest, but the North African countries of Tunisia, Egpyt and mot recently, Libya. The upheaval has already casued the fall of two governments and is putting pressure on the long-standing regime of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya.
Oil companies are divided over how serious the implications of these protests are likely to be for their future operations. For the moment many are taking the threat seriously, with operations onshore and offshore being suspended and workers evacuated. The leaders of the so-called rebel groups controlling much of eastern Libya have already announced that oil deals made with the Gaddafi gvnt which are "legal and to the benefit of hte Libyan people" will be honored if they remain in power in the region, or even take over the rest of the country.
Vessel owners are feeling the strain too, with operations being seriously affected by the collapse of the country's infrastructure. Flights in and out of may Libyan airports have been cancelled, with the main coast road between Tripoli and Benghazi, which are unde rgont and rebe lcontrol respectively, has been closed. Standard procedures like crew changes are becoming a logistical nightmare, with one owner saying that Tripoli is completly out of action and that vessels are being forced to travel to Italian ports or Malta to pick up suppliers and staff or to simply wait out the trouble. It has never been say to work in Libya, as Gaddafi' gvnt controlled the oil industry with an iron fist, imposing dozens of conditions on companies that wanted to operate there. The violent protests that have hit the country have made the situation even more uncertian, with many pepole both inside and outside the iok industry wondering when the situation will calm down - and who will be in power when it does. |
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