The Libyan revolt against Muammar Gaddafi that began in February has led to a shake-up of the OPEC member’s main industry oil, ushering in a new set of faces.
Tough questions remain about the future role of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) and the emotive issue of how to integrate senior figures in the oil industry who worked alongside Gaddafi during his 42-year rule.
Many in the industry expect a further reshuffle in the oil sector when the remainder of Libya’s ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) moves from Benghazi to Tripoli. Competition for the high-profile role of NOC chairman, previously held by Shokri Ghanem, is expected to be fierce.
Libya holds Africa’s largest oil reserves and was pumping 1.6 million barrels per day before the revolt.
* Ali Tarhouni, academic and opposition figure in exile who returned to Libya to take charge of economic, financial and oil matters on the Tripoli-based executive committee. Industry sources said he has little past experience in the Libyan oil sector.
* Omar Shahmak, deputy to Tarhouni and responsible for much of the daily operations of the oil ministry whose top priorities are field security and repairs to oil infrastructure.
* Nouri Berouin, Benghazi-based new head of the NOC appointed by the executive committee. He told Reuters in an interview that he planned to take on the high-profile job of representing Libya at the next OPEC meeting in Vienna in December. His background is petroleum engineering and his past experience includes work for eastern oil firm Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) and UK-based oil services company Tecnica.
* Ahmed Majbri, chairman of the Benghazi-based Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) replaced Abdel Wanis in February when the Libyan revolt started. This company controls around one quarter of the country’s production, most of which is pumped from the eastern fields of Sarir and Mesla. Majbri previously worked in AGOCO’s finance department.
* Mustafa el-Huni, NTC member with responsibilities for oil. He has spent over 30 years in the Libyan oil industry and was vice chairman of the National Oil Corporation in the 1980s.
* Shokri Ghanem, former head of the National Oil Corporation for five years before defecting in June. He is a divisive figure in post-revolutionary Libya, with some seeing him as bound up with the Gaddafi government and others calling him a mere “technocrat”. An NTC member told Reuters that there is an internal investigation into whether he should have a future role in the industry.
