NOC Reopens Sharara–Zawiya Pipeline Valve 7 After Five-Day Closure Costing $95 Million

Libya's National Oil Corporation announced Saturday evening, September 26, 2026 (reported Sunday, September 27) that it had successfully reopened Valve No. 7 on the main Sharara–Zawiya crude transportation line and resumed regular crude pumping operations, gradually restoring flow toward the Zawiya refinery and export terminals. The NOC said engineering arrangements and precautionary measures necessary for a safe restart had been implemented, and thanked 'all parties, entities, notables, wise men of the region, and oil cadres stationed at the sites' for the joint efforts that ended the closure — without naming who had shut the valve on September 21 or on what specific terms it was reopened. The corporation said the five-day disruption, which cut output at Sharara — Libya's largest field — from roughly 300,000–350,000 bpd to about 100,000–105,000 bpd, cost approximately $95 million. No force majeure was formally declared before the reopening, despite NOC's repeated warnings through the closure that one was imminent.