Libya’s El Sharara oilfield remains closed but oil workers are keeping it ready to resume production once a pipeline blockage is cleared, field managers said.

El Sharara’s production prior to shutting was around 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) , acting field manager Ahmed Bin Arus told Reuters during a visit. One of the Opec producer’s largest fields, it was closed last month after brief clashes between armed groups fighting in the remote area in the south of the country. Protesters opposed to a rival government in Tripoli controlling the field then blocked a pipeline that runs from the site.

Three years after the ouster of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the government has fled Tripoli and works from the east of Libya, while a rival group has taken control of the capital and sought recognition as the country’s rulers. Field officials said operator Akakus, a joint venture between NOC and Spain’s Repsol, has removed some staff from the field but was keeping it ready to resume work once the pipeline blockage was lifted. “If we manage to get everything ready to start, within one week, maybe ten days (output can resume),” the field manager said when asked about prospects for returning to its previous production level.