OPERATIONS at Libya’s pivotal port of Tripoli have ground to a halt amid escalating clashes between rival factions and a faltering ceasefire agreement.

No vessel arrivals have been tracked calling at Tripoli since May 13 when local port agents report that operations started being suspended due to violent clashes between armed groups controlling the areas surrounding the port. 

On Monday, Hapag-Lloyd confirmed that it had suspended all vessel calls to and from Tripoli, and would not accept any new bookings “due to the ongoing security situation”.

Lloyd’s List understands that evacuations of key personnel from oil majors operating in the capital were taking place over the weekend, with support from private security operators.

The few ships that were berthed inside Tripoli’s port complex also started to leave late last week.

The Liberian flagged MSC Amihan F (IMO: 9449687), which had arrived at Tripoli just as port operations were being suspended quickly exited on May 17, diverting east to Khoms which remains under the control of Tripoli-based Government of National Unity.

Mediterranean Shipping Co has not confirmed whether it has formally suspended operations inside Tripoli.

Seven ships remain berthed at Tripoli, but according to local agents the vessels and crew remain safe and so far unaffected by the armed clashes taking place around the port.

Several of the ships are reported to be preparing to leave the port imminently.

While eruptions of violence inside Libya have been relatively common over recent years, this is the first time that Tripoli has suspended shipping operations in several years.

Tanker movements in Libya’s eastern ports ground to a halt in September last year after Libya’s National Oil Corp declared a force majeure amid a dispute with the UN-backed government in Tripoli, but operations were quickly restored.

The eruption of violence in Tripoli last week has exposed the fragility of the political divisions between rival factions and raised concerns that it could escalate into a wider conflict.

Libya has struggled to recover from the Nato-backed 2011 uprising that toppled and killed long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The country remains split between a UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east, controlled by the the self-styled Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, the militia he commands.

The latest eruption of violence follows the killing of major militia chief Abdulghani Kikli, widely known as Ghaniwa, and the sudden defeat of his Stabilisation Support Apparatus group by factions aligned with Dbeibah.

The SSA had until that point held one of the six key militia-controlled areas surrounding the port of Tripoli.

With several civilian deaths reported in the densely populated neighbourhood areas surrounding the port, operations were formally suspended on May 13.

A statement issued by the Libyan National Oil Corp on May 16 sought to allay concerns among its international partners, and stressed that “technical and operational processes at all oil fields and ports are proceeding normally and safely”.

While smuggling via port calls with Automatic Identification Systems turned off is known to be rife in Libyan ports, traceable traffic would normally be much higher than it is currently.

Over 2024 the average number of monthly arrivals of cargo-carrying vessels was 37, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data. So far in May 19 calls have been recorded, mostly containerships and general cargoships, however no arrivals have been recorded since May 13.

Of the seven cargo-carrying ships at berth, four are bulk carriers and three are general cargoships.

There are four ships off the coast anchoring, these are two LPG carriers, one general cargoship and one bulk carrier.