The Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) has declared a state of emergency after oil supplies from several ports were suspended.
"NOC declares force majeure after LNA blockades oil exports from Brega, Ras Lanuf, Hariga, Zueitina and Sidra ports. This will result in a loss of crude oil production of 800,000 b/d and daily financial losses of approximately $55 million per day", the NOC announced in a post on Facebook.
The statement comes after the company said earlier in the day that the possible shutdown of oil terminals would have far-reaching negative consequences for the nation’s economy.
Libyan media reported on 17 January that protesters had entered the oil port of Zueitina in the eastern part of the country, but the terminal had not been closed.
Prior to this, Turkish special forces reportedly started arriving in Tripoli to "ensure the safety of officials of the Government of National Accord (GNA)" following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed commitment to support the GNA by sending troops to Libya.
The situation has escalated over the past several weeks as LNA Commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to advance on the GNA-held capital of Tripoli. The LNA and the GNA, which is getting military support from Turkey, will take part in an upcoming peace conference in Berlin on 19 January. Earlier in January, Russia and Turkey called on Libya's warring parties to end hostilities in the country.
In November, Ankara and the GNA signed a military cooperation agreement, triggering a backlash from the rival east-based Libyan administration, as well as Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and a host of other countries. Turkey has since been threatening to deploy troops to Libya to help the Tripoli-based government in its fight against the Libyan National Army (LNA), which backs the eastern government.