TRIPOLI (Thomson Financial) - Production was suspended at a Total SA. (News/Aktienkurs) oil platform off Libya after a 'mechanical incident', the president of the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC) Shokri Ghanem told Agence France-Presse.

Ghanem said: 'This incident has caused the shutdown of production on all the platform's wells, whose production is estimated at 45,000 barrels per day', Ghanem said, without specifying the exact nature of the incident or whether there were any oil leaks.

'We are working to repair this breakdown and resume production. But the suspension of production could last weeks', he said.

Officials from Total Libya were not available to comment on this at midday.

tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com

afp/cmr/vlb

COPYRIGHT

Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.