Libya oil supplies and Mexico face major disruptions from refinery blockade and Hurricane Polo

Libyan oil production faces a major disruption as armed factions have blockaded the Zawiya refinery and the Brega distribution company. The blockade of the Sharara-Zawiya pipeline has cut off approximately 130,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) faces the potential declaration of “force majeure” as the shutdown threatens technical integrity of infrastructure and halts domestic fuel distribution.

In the Pacific, Hurricane Polo has rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm, recording an extremely low barometric pressure of 889 millibars. This makes it one of the most intense hurricanes ever recorded in the eastern Pacific. The storm is currently located about 580 kilometers south-southeast of Manzanillo and poses a direct threat to the Mexican states of Guerrero and Michoacán, with heavy rains already causing risks of landslides and flooding.