By Jite Eriabie
The Libyan Ministry of Transport has decided to close the Port of Tobruk.
The port will be closed with immediate effect for import and export activities.
Shipments from and to Libya will be regularly accepted for the ports in Al Khums, Benghazi, Misurata and Tripoli.
The closure follows the order of the head of the Libyan National Army, Khalifa Hafter, to General Transport Authority Director Mohamed Abdelgader, according to local news agency, Libya Herald.
Foreign ships are advised to use the Port of Benghazi instead. The order has no impact on oil shipments through Tobruk’s Hariga terminal, according to Libya Herald.
The reason for the closure of the port has not been officially disclosed. However, media reports suggest that the move is aimed at preventing smuggling through the port.
At the beginning of October, Libya’s Port of Benghazi reopened after a three-year-long closure due to the military conflict in the country.
The port opening was marked with the arrival of an oil tanker from Tobruk with Abdullah al-Thinni, the Prime Minister of a government based in the east, on board the ship.
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