Libya's national head of the oil workers labor union was captured on April 29, the state-owned National Oil Corporation said.
NOC is calling for the safe return of Saad Dinar after he was taken by an armed group in Suluq, NOC said Saturday on its website. "NOC is gravely concerned about Mr Dinar's well-being," NOC said. "NOC calls for anyone with information relating to this incident to contact the public prosecutor's office."
The news underscores Libya's worsening risk profile, as civil violence continues and overlaps into the oil sector. Violence picked up about a month ago when the Libyan National Army made advances to capture Tripoli, sparking conflict between the two main competing political groups. The battle for Tripoli remains ongoing.
NOC last week issued a statement calling for an end to the militarization of oil infrastructure, which included the berthing of military vessels at an oil terminal in Ras Lanuf. Rebels also launched a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the Sharara oil field last Monday, but NOC said there had been no impact on operations.
Libyan output is around 1.2 million b/d of oil, but so far the violence does not appear to have affected production.
