Islamic State militants continued their attacks Tuesday on Libya's largest crude oil export terminal, after clashing with security forces Monday, causing a fire at the facility, sources in Libya said.
The militants have been shelling Es Sider from positions around 20 miles away, hitting an oil storage tank and causing a fire, a spokesman for the Petroleum Facilities Guard said Tuesday.
The militants detonated two car bombs at the gates of the 340,000 b/d Es Sider oil terminal, the largest export terminal in Libya, and then clashed with security forces, sources in the country said late Monday.
This resulted in at least seven deaths, the spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
The group also took control of a coastal town Monday, boosting its presence in Libya and marking another setback for the country's oil sector.
The 220,000 b/d Ras Lanuf oil terminal was also attacked, with a crude oil storage tank set ablaze. State-owned National Oil Corp. late Monday released a statement confirming the attack on the oil tank, but did not identify the attackers.
Both terminals have been closed since June, when NOC declared force majeure.
Libya has just 195,000 b/d of export capacity currently available, with the Marsa el Hariga oil terminal and the two offshore terminals of Bouri and Jourf. A total 655,000 b/d of capacity is closed due to force majeure and 480,000 b/d shut in by protests and violence.
IS also took control of the nearby coastal town of Ben Jawad, according to Libyan news agency LANA.
IS has had a presence in Libya since late 2013, but is only now beginning to seize territory. IS has been operating in the security vacuum that has emerged across the country as rival governments and militias vie for control.
In mid-December, the UN brokered a political agreement between the two opposing governments -- the internationally recognized government in the eastern city of Tobruk and the other based in Tripoli.
The deal had lifted hopes of a rise in oil production and exports, after more than a year of political deadlock. Oil production over 2015 averaged around 400,000 b/d, compared with 920,000 b/d in 2013 and a pre-civil war output of around 1.5 million b/d.
