Libya’s oil production has risen to around the 1mn b/d mark, though this is below targets set out at the beginning of the year. A further boost requires that IOCs return key personnel and increase investment.

In these times of ongoing political instability and conflict in Libya, the most critical challenge for the state-run oil sector is keeping major producing oil and gas fields and crude export terminals operational. Current oil production at or around 1mn b/d is already beyond the...