LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Commodities trader Vitol said it was on the verge of signing a contract to provide fuels to Libya's Tripoli-based National Oil Corp. (NOC) for 2016, calling the group the "sole legal supplier" of fuel to the country.
The Tripoli-based NOC says it operates independently of either a rival government that controls the capital city or the internationally recognised government based in eastern Libya, which has set up a separate NOC.
The rival NOC has called on international companies to renegotiate contacts directly with it and has set up a parallel oil payments system. br>
"NOC, based at its legal address in Tripoli, has served Libya well by staying independent," said Vitol chief Ian Taylor. "We are confident it will continue to do so."
Vitol's statement came just days after rival trader Glencore issued a statement calling the Tripoli NOC the sole legal marketer of the country's oil after securing an export deal with the state-run company.
Vitol has been supplying fuel to the NOC throughout 2015 and said in a statement that it intends to conclude a contract for 2016 with NOC in the next few days that will "100 percent guarantee and secure regular delivery of fuel to all of Libya".
(Reporting by Libby George; editing by Jason Neely) ((Libby.George@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 7714; Reuters Messaging: libby.george@thomsonreuters.com))
The Tripoli-based NOC says it operates independently of either a rival government that controls the capital city or the internationally recognised government based in eastern Libya, which has set up a separate NOC.
The rival NOC has called on international companies to renegotiate contacts directly with it and has set up a parallel oil payments system. br>
"NOC, based at its legal address in Tripoli, has served Libya well by staying independent," said Vitol chief Ian Taylor. "We are confident it will continue to do so."
Vitol's statement came just days after rival trader Glencore issued a statement calling the Tripoli NOC the sole legal marketer of the country's oil after securing an export deal with the state-run company.
Vitol has been supplying fuel to the NOC throughout 2015 and said in a statement that it intends to conclude a contract for 2016 with NOC in the next few days that will "100 percent guarantee and secure regular delivery of fuel to all of Libya".
(Reporting by Libby George; editing by Jason Neely) ((Libby.George@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 7714; Reuters Messaging: libby.george@thomsonreuters.com))
