Port workers in Southern France will extend until Monday a strike that has already blocked access to the Lavera and Fos petrochemicals and oil refining hub for four days running, a trade union source said on Friday.
The source said maritime traffic from Marseille would once again be disrupted due to protests against a planned privatisation of a ferry company. The strike, which was called in sympathy with workers protesting a privatisation of a ferry company, has roiled oil markets at a time when consumer nations are looking for fuel.
The Lavera-Fos refinery hub with some 570,000 bpd of capacity, is a major source of oil products exports to the region, as well as to West Africa and the United States, while Fos is a key import point for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
France's oil industry body UFIP and oil major Shell have warned that refining at the Fos-Lavera hub could slow down if the port strike extends into next week.