The U.S. ambassador to Libya Richard Norland urged the country's central bank to safeguard oil revenue from misappropriation, a statement by the U.S. Embassy said. Norland also expressed concern about the shutdown of half of Libya's oil production, saying that forced, prolonged disruptions create adverse conditions for the people.

Libya is currently losing more than 550,000 barrels per day in oil production from blockades on major fields and export terminals, the National Oil Corporation media office said on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Lilian Wagdy)