Selling oil across Libya

Chapter 79 Conflict

In another timeline, the supporting facilities for the Simandou iron ore mine were not officially launched until 2022, taking more than 25 years in total.

Christopher's understanding of the situation in Guinea was relatively optimistic.

There are indeed quite a few companies interested in the Simandou iron ore mine.

Few dare to make a move.

Of the four major mining giants, Vale has been eliminated, while Rio Tinto is mired in a quagmire from which it cannot extricate itself.

While BHP Billiton and FMG have expressed some interest, their involvement is largely disruptive and they are not genuinely interested in investing in the development.

BHP Billiton and FMG are both Australian companies, living comfortably off their Australian iron ore mines, and have no intention of getting involved in this mess.

The remaining Japanese and Indian companies, while interested in investing, hesitated to commit real money because of Vale's success.

After careful consideration, the only company truly capable of posing a threat to Cyrenaica Investment Company is Total of France.

"The Guinean government is very determined to conduct a global open tender for Blocks 1 and 2 in the North Zone. The total investment, including subsequent supporting facilities, may exceed US$100 billion."

Christopher shared a portion of the costs with Simfer.

If Cyrenaica Investments wants to take over Rio Tinto's shares, the cost will soar to 150 billion.

Well, that's fine. It's only 150 billion, and it'll only take 5 months.

Ding Jian disagreed with placing the railway in Liberia, preferring to bear higher costs and keep the entire railway within Guinea.

The reason is simple: placing the railway in Liberia would be too risky.

"The risks are just as high if it's placed in Guinea."

In Qin Rui's view, there is no difference between Guinea and Liberia.

Following the coup, the Guinean government forcibly reclaimed its 15% stake in the Simandou iron ore mine, while retaining the right to purchase an additional 20%.

Once the railway connecting the iron ore mine is completed, it will be handed over to the Guinean government for operation, as required by the Guinean government.

Based on the Guinean government's attitude toward the railway built by the French, Qin Rui does not believe that the Guinean government has the ability to operate and maintain the railway.

This is just the beginning.

These small African countries are prone to coups and their policies change frequently.

The railway is still not even in the works, yet they are forcibly taking back 15%.

Once the railway is built, iron ore will be continuously mined out, and who knows what kind of trouble the Guinean government will cause then.

In this respect, not only African countries, but also almost all developing countries, except for one country that considers itself developed and is recognized as advanced, are in the same boat.

"President Qin, this is a multi-billion dollar project; we can't let emotions cloud our judgment."

Ding Jian persisted.

"Mr. Ding, once the project is completed, ExxonMobil will not see any loss to its interests."

Qin Rui believes that Mobil will firmly safeguard its own interests.

To some extent, Qin Rui trusted Mobil's integrity more than that of small African countries.

It's a bit ridiculous to associate the word "integrity" with a multinational corporation like ExxonMobil, which has a notorious track record.

However, it must be admitted that ExxonMobil, at least in terms of its size, is still rational.

They are at least better than some humanoid creatures in Africa who, with only a few patrol boats, dare to claim they are going to East Asia to maintain world peace.

"President Qin, don't have too high expectations for Mobil."

Ding Jian had absolutely no trust in Mobil.

"If ExxonMobil breaks the agreement, I will use ExxonMobil's oil revenues in Libya to make up for your losses."

Qin Rui is not worried about ExxonMobil defaulting on the contract.

Qin Rui believes that ExxonMobil can clearly distinguish between the importance of oil revenues from Libya and those from Libya.

The Simandou iron ore mine is expected to produce only 1.2 million tons per year. With iron ore prices currently fluctuating around $150, 1.2 million tons would only amount to $180 billion.

With Libyan oil production steadily increasing, ExxonMobil is earning as much as $1000 million a day from Libyan oil alone.

If Mobil dares to tamper with the railroad, Qin Rui can guarantee that Mobil will not be able to transport a single grain of iron ore out of Simandou.

"real?"

Ding Jian's eyes gleamed with sharp light.

"If you don't believe me, we can sign a written agreement."

Qin Rui was annoyed.

While the bidding process is progressing steadily, the Libyan government has also released the results of its investigation into the Eastern Front Alliance.

Although the investigation results indicate that Samir's funding for forming the Eastern Front alliance came from donations from alliance members.

Investigators found evidence of Samir receiving foreign funding through his financial records.

On July 25, Libyan police raided the offices and residences of Samir and six key members of the Eastern Front alliance. Correspondence between Samir and Majariaf was found on Samir's computer.

Samir was arrested on the spot.

Mukhtar was deeply saddened. He and Samir were old friends, and during Operation Odyssey Dawn, they swore an oath to overthrow the colonel's dictatorial rule and establish a democratic and free Libya.

Unexpectedly, he has now gone astray and ended up in prison.

Qin Rui was mentally prepared for this kind of thing.

After the civil war ended, it was no longer feasible to overthrow the Libyan government by force, and the enemy's actions would inevitably have to go underground and be carried out in a more covert manner.

Compared to Samir, something else happened on July 25th that caught Qin Rui's attention.

After the Numidian Brigade recaptured the Surt Basin, they hired a group of oilfield workers from East Asia and sent them to the Sirt region.

Like Sharara, these East Asian staff members are experiencing growing tensions with Sirte's previous employees.

The Sirte region not only has staff from Libya, but also a large number of staff from Southeast Asia, mainly Indian workers employed by Royal Dutch Shell.

The local Libyan staff are fine; to them, there's no difference between staff from East Asia and staff from Southeast Asia.

On the contrary, the staff from India treated the staff from East Asia very badly.

On July 25, clashes broke out between East Asian and Indian workers in Siddhar port, resulting in more than ten injuries and one death.

Qin Rui learned afterward that the conflict was caused by an East Asian girl.

Royal Dutch Shell's workforce in India is predominantly male.

The Libyan National Oil Corporation employs both men and women from East Asia. The girls have been frequently harassed by Indian workers since arriving in Siddar port.

On the evening of July 24, an East Asian girl was sexually assaulted by two Indian workers.

Because it was late, the girl was unable to accurately describe the suspect's physical characteristics, and the Siddar police were unable to find the suspect immediately.

On the morning of the 25th, dozens of East Asian workers, armed with steel pipes, sticks, and other weapons, stormed into Indian workers' dormitories in retaliation.

An Indian worker named Singh resisted with a knife and was beaten by a group of people. He died in hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

What truly intrigued Qin Rui was that Boboci had managed to give a full report on the incident before Libya's national television.

This is strange.

Bobo has no branch in Libya.