Protesters calling for salaries targeted a major refinery in western Libya on Wednesday, stopping the loading of trucks carrying fuel to the capital but not affecting refining operations, two industry sources said.
The protesters, believed to be former rebel fighters, closed the front gate of the Zawiyah refinery, which has a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, for several hours before the dispute was resolved, a senior Libyan oil industry source said.
"The refining operations were not stopped but by closing the gates, trucks could not be loaded," the source told Reuters.
"But things are ok now."
A second oil industry source added: "They shut the gate and stood there for around three hours. They did not try to get into the compound or shut down operations."
Long queues of cars formed at petrol stations in the capital Tripoli, some 50 kms (30 miles) away, as residents feared a shortage.
Oil installations have become a focal point of protests in OPEC member Libya and the government is struggling to impose order on a vast and divided country awash with arms and militias after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in late 2011.
In the past week, new protests have shut down several Libyan oilfields, cutting output by around a third, as the country's new rulers struggle to maintain stability in an industry that accounts for 95 percent of state revenues.
