Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations including those in West Africa are willing and able to replace any lost Libyan oil, including crude of the same quality, a Saudi Arabian oil official said by telephone today, Bloomberg reported.
Protests against the ruling regime and unrests in Libya are ongoing since Feb. 15. According to international organizations, the number of victims of the riots may reach 500 and the number of injured may hit 4,000. The unrest halted activities at all oil fields and most refineries of the country.
Libya is eighth in terms of crude oil producers among the 12 OPEC countries and third in Africa, after Nigeria and Angola. It occupies less than two percent of global oil production. The main importer of Libyan oil is Italy, followed by Germany, France and Spain.
_________________________________________________________________________
OPEC
Member Countries
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in Baghdad, Iraq, with the signing of an agreement in September 1960 by five countries namely Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. They were to become the Founder Members of the Organization.
These countries were later joined by Qatar (1961), Indonesia (1962), Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1962), the United Arab Emirates (1967), Algeria (1969), Nigeria (1971), Ecuador (1973), Gabon (1975) and Angola (2007).
From December 1992 until October 2007, Ecuador suspended its membership. Gabon terminated its membership in 1995. Indonesia suspended its membership effective January 2009.
Ecuador är med igen efter att ha tjurat några år över medlemsavgiften.
OPEC-länderna Ecuadors och Venezuelas grannland Colombia har inte haft (och har inte?) några planer på att gå med i OPEC. Colombia producerade mer olja än Ecuador för ett par år sedan. Hur är det nu?
