TRIPOLI, Libya, July 18 (UPI) -- Protesters frustrated with their employment prospects in Libya managed to shut down operations at an oil terminal, an employee said.
Armed protesters managed to halt operations at the Zuetina oil day, one day after operations resumed from previous strikes. Demonstrators said they were frustrated with the lack of job prospects.
"The protestors arrived yesterday afternoon and tried to stop work at the port," an unnamed Zuetina employee said Wednesday to the Libya Herald. "The protestors are still in the port, but they haven't attacked anyone."
A three-week strike that ended earlier this week was called off following intervention from Libyan Oil Minister Abdulbari al-Arusi, who persuaded demonstrators he was working to address their demands.
Libyan oil production has struggled to return to pre-civil war levels of 1.6 million barrels per day. Austrian energy company OMV said its oil operations in the country were back to normal following a decision to shut down "due to the political situation" in Libya.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said Libyan production for June, the last full month for which data is available, was 1.28 million barrels per day, an 11 percent decline from May.
