Oil traders unmoved by Libyan bid to set up eastern NOC

A renewed attempt by the democratically legitimate Tobruk-based government led by Abdullah Al-Thinni to claim control over National Oil Corporation (NOC) operations and international marketing of crude exports has had little effect. Despite Thinni’s official decree on 17 March informing all contracted parties that the eastern headquarters of NOC set up under chairman Mabrouk Bouseif is “the only legitimate channel that has the right to deal and to contract companies to authorise the sale of oil and gas”, oil market sources canvassed by African Energy said that nothing had changed.