Germany's Wintershall stops Libyan oil production

BERLIN: German oil firm Wintershall said Wednesday it had stopped oil production in Libya due to the security situation in the violence-hit country, a spokesman said.

The production at Wintershall's eight oil fields in the country has been stopped "due to security reasons," the spokesman told AFP.

The company which has 400 employees there, mostly Libyans, had earlier said its daily production of 100,000 barrels per day would be reduced, but that a small group of core workers would remain on site.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Libyan oil makes up 7.7 percent of Germany's supplies, making it the fifth biggest supplier.

An economy ministry spokeswoman told a regular briefing earlier Wednesday that Europe's top economy has plentiful reserves and there was "no reason for concern."