Two of Libya’s biggest oil ports stopped loading crude after armed forces clashed nearby, taking more bbl off the market just as OPEC mulls proposals to boost production.

    Workers were removed from the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf terminals, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak to the media. The evacuation of the ports, which account for 40% of Libya’s oil exports, comes as fellow members of OPEC prepare for a key summit next week in Vienna.

    Fighting erupted about 20 km (13 mi) south of Es Sider, said Omran al-Hamali, a spokesman for Brigade 302, which is partly responsible for security at the oil facilities. Libya has pumped 990,000 bpd over the past three months, well below the 1.8 MMbpd it produced before the ouster of former leader Moammar Qaddafi.