Brega Oil Marketing Company says Tripoli oil depot attacked

Brega Oil Marketing Company said its Tripoli oil depot came under attack early Thursday after a flying object, suspected to be a drone, entered the depot’s airspace and crashed near one of its storage tanks.

The company said in a statement that no casualties were reported, adding that specialized teams and the relevant authorities had begun taking the necessary measures and securing the site of the incident.

Brega reassured the public that operations, as well as fuel distribution and supply activities, were proceeding normally without interruption, stressing that the incident had not affected operations or scheduled fuel deliveries to filling stations.

The company praised the swift response of the relevant security and military authorities and called for intensified efforts to protect oil depots and facilities, describing them as vital national infrastructure.

It also called on the relevant authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the incident, identify those responsible and take the necessary legal action against them. The company stressed that the safety of workers and oil facilities, as well as the continuity of fuel supply and distribution operations, remained a top priority.

The city of Zawiya witnessed a series of successive drone attacks during the first half of August targeting vital facilities, including the Zawiya oil complex, Zawiya refinery and a water desalination plant.

The National Oil Corporation said at the time that the attacks had struck fuel storage tanks and an oil blending and packaging plant. One attack on a gasoline storage tank caused a fire and led to its collapse. The tank contained around 4.5 million liters of gasoline.

The NOC said an attack involving an explosives-laden drone targeting a diesel storage tank was the fifth attack on the complex, following earlier strikes on other tanks and facilities.

A power station in the area was also hit by a drone attack, causing damage and power outages across large areas. The NOC warned that it could declare force majeure and halt operations at the refinery if the attacks continued.