Libya halts Swiss oil shipments

Libya’s General National Maritime Transport Company - which has links to Hannibal Gaddafi - said in a statement that it had halted all oil shipments to Switzerland.

The firm handles most of Libya’s oil exports. However, the AFP news agency reported that oil carried by commercial vessels would not be affected.

In a joint statement with the national port authority, the company also said ships sailing under the Swiss flag had been banned from entering Libyan ports.

It is a row that could prove costly to both countries, says the BBC’s Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.

Switzerland imports at least half its crude oil from Libya but Libya owns a large oil refinery in Switzerland. Libya’s influential people’s committees have also called for Libya to withdraw its deposits from Swiss banks if an apology for the arrest is not forthcoming.