On 8 May in the morning, heavy fighting broke out on the Refinery Road and in the vicinity of the Zawiyya refinery between the ‘joint security forces’ led by Muhammed Bahroun aka al-Far, including the Counter Security Threats Agency and the First Support Force, and the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) that were supported by the Shuhada al-Nasr Brigade, al-Latif and the al-Kabwat. Mortars and artillery were employed. Several heavy shells struck parts of the Zawiyya refinery and residential areas of the refinery.
At around 11am local time, the Zawiyya Oil Refining Company (which operates the refinery) said it was concerned and fearful after armed clashes and exchanges of fire erupted near the complex in the early hours of 8 May and the situation escalated rapidly. It said numerous heavy shells had landed in various locations within the company, reaching operational areas. This necessitated the immediate and emergency shutdown of the refinery.
At about noon, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) warned that the escalating armed clashes had drastically increased the risks to Zawiyya refinery one of the country’s most sensitive energy facilities, and called for immediate de‑escalation and government intervention to protect vital infrastructure. It said all workers and students from the Engineering College were safely evacuated, leaving only firefighting and emergency teams on site. Emergency measures included shutting down the refinery, the evacuation of all tankers from Zawiyya port, and deploying specialist teams from the Zawiyya, Brega, and Akakus companies to prevent environmental or operational disasters. The NOC stressed that fuel supplies to Tripoli remain normal, with contingency stocks in Misrata ready if needed. The NOC emergency committee, led by NOC Chairman Masoud Suleiman, stated that it was in continuous contact with the Government of National Unity (GNU) as the situation evolved.
The Western Region Petroleum Facilities Guard said the Zawiyya oil complex was attacked at dawn by an ‘outlaw group’ using various weapons, with shells landing inside the facility, prompting its units to respond and hold their positions. It warned it would not allow criminals to threaten national resources and accused the Defense and Interior Ministries and the Western Coast Military Zone of remaining silent as the situation deteriorated.
In the late afternoon, Brega Petroleum Marketing Company reported that aviation‑kerosene tank No. 501 was hit during the early‑morning clashes. The tank sustained two direct impacts from heavy weapons, causing its walls to tear and large quantities of kerosene to spill around the depot. Tank No.502 was struck by gunfire. Despite the ongoing fighting, maintenance and emergency teams entered the spill site in an effort to stop the leak and prevent the fuel from reaching any ignition sources.
Operations at the Zawiyya fuel depot resumed the day after the fighting and the refinery reopened two days afterwards. The power station was also impacted.
On 9 May, the Brega Petroleum Marketing Company announced the resumption of operations at the Zawiyya fuel depot.
The General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) said clashes in Zawiyya caused light‑fuel leaks from three tanks at the Zawiyya power plant, though teams quickly contained and repaired the damage. The fighting also disabled part of the fire‑suppression system and struck the high‑pressure pump serving the first steam unit. The first gas turbine unit returned to service on 9 May after being shut down the day before when water from the fire extinguishers leaked onto the cooling motors.
On 10 May, the Zawiyya Oil Refining Company announced at 10.15 local time that all facilities had returned to normal operation after security conditions around the refinery stabilized. It said that in addition to restarting all operations and reactivating maritime traffic, the company would establish a mechanism for compensating employees for damage to personal property (such as vehicles) due to the shelling and would begin any necessary repair works on the refinery itself.