Methanol Plant at Libyan Port Shut after Accidental Blast
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
A methanol plant in the Libyan oil port of Brega has stopped operations after an accidental explosion caused by a gas leak, an official said on Tuesday.
The plant will remain shut until safe operations can be guaranteed, but it was not clear how long this would take, said Issa Mukhtar, an official at Sirte Oil Company which runs the plant.
One worker was injured by the explosion which occurred early on Saturday and was caused by a leak in a natural gas heating unit, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said.
Firefighters dealt with the blast, which could be heard across the surrounding area, a Sirte Oil engineer said.
(Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli Writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by David Evans)