Oil shipments has resumed from Libya’s Marsa al-Hariga port as a tanker that had been prevented from loading for three weeks due to a dispute over oil exports, entered the port and began loading on Thursday.

According to port and oil officials, the Seachance, which had been delayed from loading oil for the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation (NOC), was loading 600,000 barrels for shipment to Britain.

Exports from the port have been blocked since the beginning of this month, as a result of a standoff between the eastern and western NOC.

This had lowered Libya's output to about 230,000 bpd, compared to the 1.6 million bpd the country was producing in 2011, NOC spokesman, Mohamed al-Harari confirmed.

He said the al-Khaleej (Gulf) Company lowered its output to 90,000 bpd after the halt of export through the port.

Al-Harari said other oil companies are producing limited volumes of crude oil, while the off shore oil fields produce about 70,000 bpd.

If more tankers are allowed to ship oil from the Hariga port, Libya’s output could increase to over 300,000 bpd.

The Messla and Sarir fields were formerly producing over 200,000 bpd, although the spokesman for the eastern NOC, Omran al-Zwai, had said that the company needs a budget for new equipment so as to guarantee maximum production.

For the past three years labour clashes, factional rivalries and security threats have made some of Libya's main oil fields and facilities shut down operations but the eastern ports of Hariga and Brega have continued to operate, Reuters reports.

Anita Fatunji