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Libya investigating Zueitina oil pipeline blast

NEAR ADJABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) Libya is investigating the cause of an explosion late on Tuesday on oil and condensate pipelines to the eastern port of Zueitina, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said. local time on a section of the pipeline linking Field 103, which is operated by Zueitina Oil company, to the export terminal, the state energy company said in canada goose uk shop a statement on its website.

Zueitina workers said repairs were being made and oil was Canada Goose Online expected to flow through the canadian goose jacket pipeline to the uk canada goose terminal in a canada goose factory sale day or two. Some 60,000 cheap Canada Goose to 70,000 barrels per day (bpd) are exported from the terminal.

The NOC canada goose clearance statement quoted acting NOC Chairman Abdulkasir Shengir as saying there canada goose uk outlet were no casualties and that a crisis committee had been formed to conduct the investigation.

evening, some people from Ajdabiyah saw a big fire. They came here and the first thing they saw was a large pool of oil and they realized the pipeline Canada Goose Coats On Sale was damaged, said an engineer working for Zueitina, who declined to be named.

fire was further away, and they saw the other pipeline was damaged.

A Reuters reporter saw large pools of oil in the sand around the crude oil pipeline, around 20 kms (12 miles) south of the eastern town of Ajdabiyah.

Oil workers were trying to repair the damage and had cut about Canada Goose Jackets 2 meters of the pipeline. A fire was still burning at the condensate pipeline about 5 kms canada goose black friday sale away, although officials canadagoosejacketsalesca said it was buy canada goose jacket cheap smaller than before. Ajdabiyah is some 30 kms away from Zueitina. Plumes of smoke could still be seen from the town.

could put the fire out, but we want it to burn out the gas so it doesn pollute the air, the engineer canada goose store said. Regarding the oil pipeline, he said: tomorrow, this should be solved.

The pipeline uk canada goose outlet also cheap canada goose uk carries crude produced by the Abu Attifel field, which has a capacity of 70,000 bpd and is operated by the Mellitah Oil Company, a joint venture between the NOC and Italy Eni; and oil from the smaller Nakhlah oil field, canada goose coats on sale operated by Germany Wintershall.

reports show the initial explosion was on the condensate pipeline. That then had an impact on the crude pipeline, and due to the pressure it must have burst, said Musbah Al Warfalli, a Zueitina security Canada Goose Outlet official and a member of the crisis committee.

Asked if he thought the cause may have been sabotage, he said: don know. Some guards found mortars nearby, but I think these buy canada goose jacket are left over from the war. The more realistic version is that there were technical problems, maybe the pressure inside.

Mohammed Abu Canada Goose sale Snina, head of Ajdabiyah local council, said sabotage could not be ruled Canada Goose online out. is no clear evidence; an investigation is in progress, he said.

NOC officials have spoken of plans to upgrade Libyan pipelines, Canada Goose Parka many of which are old.

by tomorrow or after tomorrow the oil will flow through the pipeline again, Warfalli said. for the other pipeline it will take time. canada goose jacket mens A large part will need to be replaced, and we want to properly investigate the cause.

After the 2011 uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, it took Libya less time than expected to return canada goose coats to oil output close to the pre war level of almost 1.6 million bpd. In recent months, protests have disrupted operations.

On Wednesday, Deputy Oil Minister Omar Shakmak said the OPEC member canada goose uk black friday oil output was 1.55 million barrels canada goose clearance sale bpd and could reach 1.7 million bpd by mid 2013.

Police vehicles are seen next to a canada goose gas pipeline after an explosion, 18 km (11 miles) south of the city of Ajdabiyah April 3, 2013. REUTERS/Esam Al Fetori

Additional reporting by Ali Shuaib in Tripoli and Reuters Television; Writing by Marie Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Jane Baird, Toni Reinhold.