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Fuel tankers evacuated from Tripoli Port after strike near LPG ship
National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya confirms that fuel vessels have evacuated urgently from Tripoli port and all offloading operations were cancelled after projectiles struck meters away from a highly explosive liquified petroleum gas (LPG) tanker discharging in the port.
NOC Chairman Eng. Mustafa Sanalla said: “Today’s attack on Tripoli port could have led to a humanitarian and environmental disaster and it will have a significant impact on a crowded region like Tripoli. The city does not have operational fuel storage facilities as the capital’s main storage warehouse was evacuated as a result of the fighting on Airport Road area, where the warehouse is located. The consequences will be immediate; hospitals, schools, power stations and other vital services will be disrupted. We condemn this behaviour in the strongest possible terms and ask the international community to intervene rapidly to prevent a serious escalation in the conflict and to allow NOC to manage fuel supplies.”
Following the attack, the LPG tanker and a gasoline tanker that were in Tripoli immediately left the port for safe waters. NOC is exploring alternative ways to supply Tripoli and its surroundings with fuel.
Tripoli February 18, 2020