Over the last three days, there were several drone strikes hitting fuel tanks, power stations and water facilities in Zawiyya, with one strike resulting in a major fire.
On 8 August, at 03.25 local time, a drone collided with untreated naphtha storage tank 1-7 at the Zawiyya refinery. The impact caused the drone to explode against the tank wall, creating two holes and resulting in a leakage of the naphtha product. The Zawiyya Oil Refinery Company said that its personnel successfully contained the situation and halted the leak. It also confirmed that there were no fires or casualties at the site.
The Company expressed its deep concern regarding the presence of such military hardware within the refinery complex, noting that it poses a grave and significant threat to the safety of lives, property, and the surrounding environment. It again appealed to all parties to keep the Company’s facilities clear of any clashes or armed activity, given the critical, sensitive, and strategic nature of the refinery, its operations, and its equipment.
The First Support Battalion of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) (Zawiyya) said it had officially documented a FPV (First-Person View) type-drone crashing into a fuel tank at Zawiyya Oil Refinery. It said its media department had recorded the damage sustained by the oil tank as well as the drone’s crash site and wreckage. The aim of this is to visually document the event and show the aftermath exactly as it appears on the ground. The PFG condemned the attack in the strongest and most forceful terms. It also affirmed its full support for all security and legal measures aimed at uncovering the circumstances surrounding these attacks, identifying those responsible, and referring them to the competent authorities to take the necessary legal measures against them.
On 9 August, Zawiyya al-Harsha water desalination plant adjacent to the Zawiyya Refinery Complex was also directly attacked by a drone. The strike caused water leakage and damage to water transmission pipelines, putting the plant out of service. No casualties have been reported. The plant serves the Zawiyya Centre, North Zawiyya, West Zawiyya (Al-Harsha and Al-Mutrad), and Surman (Dahman) areas.
On 10 August, at 20.35 in the evening local time, the Brega Petroleum Marketing Company said a fire had broken out at Tank T-402 at the Zawiyya fuel depot. The NOC said the fire was caused by another direct attack by a drone, stressing the tank contains 4.5 million litres of gasoline. The fuel caught fire and the tank subsequently collapsed completely. The NOC warned that the fire posed a significant threat to the facility itself and to neighbouring oil facilities within the complex. The fire was put out late on 11 August.
Later the same evening on 10 August, at 23.51 local time, the NOC said the oil blending and packaging plant—operated by the Zawiyya Oil Refining Company—was targeted by another drone. The device struck near the main oil storage tank and the pipeline network used for manufacturing fuel for the local market. The NOC confirmed there were no casualties or material damage resulting from this latest attack.
In a statement on the evening of 10 August, the NOC stressed that given the gravity and recurrence of these incidents, the NOC’s Board of Directors has declared a state of extreme emergency in the region. It calls for urgent judicial intervention, a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances and background of these events, the identification and apprehension of the perpetrators and those behind them, and their referral to the judiciary to face deterrent punishment. The NOC also affirmed that if these attacks persist, it will be compelled to declare ‘force majeure’ and completely halt operations at the refinery.
On 11 August, at around 03.35 local time, reports indicate another explosion was heard inside the Zawiyya Refinery after a drone struck the roof of gasoline storage tank 2/4. The strike punctured the tank’s roof and triggered a fire, which was contained at an early stage. The tank had been receiving production from the refinery’s two processing units before the flow was redirected to an alternative tank.
Another drone was observed flying over the refinery’s processing units, raising fears of a potential strike on critical equipment, including reactors, boilers and systems containing hydrogen gas, which could result in significantly greater damage. As a precaution, both refining units were shut down until daylight, particularly as the recent drone incidents have occurred at night.
On 11 August at about noon local time, the Zawiyya power plant was attacked by two Quadcopter drones during repair work due to recent damage sustained during clashes between militias nearby. One drone hit and damaged the fire suppression system, another crashed near the main fuel tank supplying the power station. GECOL decided to stop the work and to withdraw the workers for the time being. The power plant is located just west of the refinery on the coast. GE’s teams temporarily evacuated their work sites at Zawiyya power plant to Tripoli after their accommodation was damaged, while assessments of the damage and its impact on the plant continue.