Tripoli, Dec 15 (IANS): Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Sunday declared a state of force majeure at an oil refinery in the western city of Zawiya, some 45 km west of the capital Tripoli, due to damages caused by armed clashes.

"The NOC regretfully declares a force majeure and level three (the highest) emergency. This is because several Zawiya refinery storage tanks sustained significant damage from gunfire on early Sunday morning that led to serious fires. This damage is a direct consequence of armed clashes using light and medium weapons in the refinery's vicinity," the NOC said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

The refinery's security and safety personnel managed to control the fires and gas leaks despite the continuing clashes around the refinery, according to the statement.

The Zawiya refinery, Libya's second-largest one built in 1974, produces an estimated 120,000 barrels of oil products daily.

The state of force majeure, invoked in exceptional circumstances, allows the NOC exemption from liability for a breach of oil delivery contracts.

The NOC called on the relevant authorities to urgently stop the clashes and keep oil facilities out of the conflict zone, saying that damage to the refinery's storage tanks, which contain highly flammable materials, poses a grave danger to civilian lives.

Libya's oil industry, the backbone of its economy, has frequently been caught in the crossfire of political disputes and armed conflict since the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.