Protesters demanding jobs closed off the eastern Libyan port of Zueitina for a sixth day yesterday, extending a halt in oil exports, according to a senior oil industry source and to one ofthe demonstrators.

Roughly a dozen men last Tuesday evening forced their way into the port, just hours after Zueitina Oil Company workers had temporarily suspended a strike and resumed production at oilfields that pump to the terminal.

“The situation is still the same,” a senior Libyan oil industry source said. “Exports are still down as of yesterday evening. There has been any change this morning.”

Belgasem al-Sghou, who described himself as the leader of the protesters, said two ships were waiting to load crude.

“We are not allowing them to be loaded from this port,” he said by phone, adding that maintenance work continued as normal.

Sghou said the protesters numbered less than 10, even though they represented around 300 people. Asked if there had been any talks yet with government officials to end the demonstration, he said: “Nothing has happened yet.”

The protesters are among a group of civilian demonstrators demanding jobs who shut down the port for weeks earlier this year.

An agreement was later reached for new jobs to be created but the group has yet to begin work.

Zueitina Oil Company pumps between 60,000 and 70,000 barrels but its terminal has the capacity to handle about 20 per cent of Libya’s crude oil exports.

Protests and strikes at various facilities have repeatedly lowered Libya’s oil output, which had returned faster than expected to pre-war levels of around 1.6 million barrels per day.