Libyan Rebels Seal New Deal With Vitol

Trading house Vitol has lifted a cargo of naphtha from the rebel-held port of Tobruk in east Libya, traders, providing the opposition with much needed funds to fight government forces.

The cargo was loaded at Tobruk aboard a 60,000 tonne carrier at the end of April and sailed for delivery to an undisclosed buyer in the East."I was looking at buying some Tobruk, but they took it East," said a naphtha trader.

Vitol declined to comment.

Industry sources say that funds to pay for the cargo could have been channelled to the rebels via intermediaries in Qatar or Kuwait. Earlier this week, a member of the oil and gas support group for Libya told Reuters that payments were being processed through a bank account in Qatar.