Inferno at Zawiya: Massive Blaze Engulfs Libyan Refinery Following Deadly Drone Strike

ZAWIYA, LIBYA — A major energy crisis is unfolding in western Libya following a wave of deliberate drone strikes against critical oil and public infrastructure in the coastal city of Zawiya. The attacks culminated in a massive inferno that destroyed a strategic fuel tank and sent shockwaves through the country’s energy sector.

The escalation peaked when a remotely operated drone directly struck Tank No. 402-T, a major storage unit operated by the Brega Petroleum Marketing Company—the fuel marketing arm of the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC). The vessel contained approximately 4.5 million liters (1.2 million gallons) of gasoline.

The strike ignited an explosive blaze, sending towering flames and thick black plumes of smoke high over the city. Firefighters from the Zawiya Refinery, Brega Oil, and neighboring industrial companies rushed to the scene to battle the inferno and construct cooling perimeters around adjacent storage facilities. However, intense heat compromised the structural integrity of the steel tank, causing it to completely collapse onto itself.

The situation deteriorated further when another drone crashed near the main oil tank and pipeline network at a nearby blending and packaging plant operated by the Zawiya Oil Refining Company. Emergency crews were forced to battle the high-risk industrial fires while operating under the immediate peril of ongoing air raids.

"Targeting vital energy assets containing millions of liters of highly volatile fuel poses a severe and direct threat to workers, surrounding residential zones, and the national economy."— National Oil Corporation (NOC) Official Statement

Following the strikes, the NOC declared a state of maximum emergency across the Zawiya energy complex and placed safety and firefighting units on high alert.

The Zawiya refinery is Libya’s largest operational refining facility, capable of processing 120,000 barrels per day and directly connected to the 300,000 bpd Sharara oilfield. The repeated attacks threaten to destabilize Libya’s domestic fuel supply and regional power generation.

The NOC has warned that if drone strikes against Zawiya's oil installations continue, the corporation will have no choice but to declare force majeure and suspend all refining and supply operations. Local authorities and state energy bodies have called for immediate security intervention and an international investigation into the attacks targeting vital public assets.