A fighter jet operated by Libya's military force backed attacked an oil tanker that was about to anchor in the northern city of Sirte, reports local media.
Lt Gen. Saqr al-Garrouchi, the commander of Libya's Tobruk parliament and government-backed air force, said the jet attacked the oil tanker after its crew refused to respond to warnings against entering the maritime border of the northern city.
"The ship now is on fire. We are at war and we do not accept any security breaches whether by land air or sea" Garrouchi added.
The General Electricity Company denounced as "sabotage" the attack at the plant near Sirte, in central Libya, saying it was likely to cause disruptions to power supplies across the country due to a lack of fuel.
The tanker was attacked with three rockets, which made it sustain heavy damage, according to Hassan al-Fergani, the official responsible for the Libyan electricity plant that owns the port where the ship planned to dock.
Al-Fergani noted that the ship carried 40,000 liters of fuel, noting that the fuel was needed for the operation of the electricity plant.
An oil industry official said the ship was actually a tanker which had been carrying 25000 tons of gasoil. He named the tanker as Anwar Afriqya.
There was no immediate comment from the authorities recognized by the international community.
On May 10, a Tobruk parliament and government-backed fighter plane attacked a Turkish commercial ship near Libya's eastern coast, killing one of its crew members.