Updated 5pm

Libyan oil firm Waha Oil stopped pumping crude to the Es Sider terminal after a feeder pipeline was blown up on Tuesday, a Libyan oil source said.

This means a massive drop in the North African country's crude production, with a Libyan oil source saying that around 90,000 bpd of crude oil had been lost. NOC was still assessing the damage, the source said.

Oil prices rose on the report.

A picture purportedly showing a huge cloud from the blast in central eastern Libya circulated on social media.

Armed men were responsible for the explosion, a Libyan military source said.

They arrived at the site in two cars and planted explosives at the pipeline feeding the Es Sider port, the source said.

The area was used by Islamic State fighters before government forces expelled them from their main stronghold in Sirte a year ago.

A military source said forces had lost contact with a unit located near Marada. The source had no more details.

Waha is a subsidiary of Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) and operates as a joint venture with Hess Corp, Marathon Oil Corp and ConocoPhillips.

The company pumps 260,000 barrels a day, its chairman said last month