Three tankers plan to lift 1.7 million barrels of crude from ports in eastern Libya this week, oil officials said on Monday, giving hope to the battered energy sector in the North African country.

The OPEC member state's oil sector has been hit by Islamist militant attacks and fighting between rival factions that has shut down major fields. But it recently managed to resume production at two western fields while keeping output steady at around 490,000 barrels per day.

Output from four fields including Sarir, the country's largest, has reached 290,000 bpd, said a spokesman for state firm Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) which dominates production in eastern Libya.

A tanker bound for China is currently lifting 700,000 barrels of crude at the eastern Libyan port of Hariga fed from Sarir, the AGOCO spokesman said. A second tanker heading to Greece will be lifting 400,000 barrels from tomorrow.

A third tanker was expected at the eastern port of Zueitina on Tuesday to load 600,000 barrels of crude, another official said. This is the fourth tanker since the port restarted work in April 2014 when a group campaigning for eastern autonomy ended a blockage.

Strikes and technical delays had hampered efforts to export at Zueitina. Total liftings have hit 2 million barrels since then, an oil official said.

AGOCO restarted output at the Sarir and Messla oilfields after a pipeline blast cut off supplies to Hariga in February.

The North African country had recently managed to reopen the western El Feel and Wafa fields.

Libya also exports from two offshore fields, while the eastern Brega port supplies Libya's Zawiya refinery.

This has helped offset the closure of eleven fields in central Libya where the government declared force majeure after militants attacked several fields, taking up to 10 foreigners as hostages. – Reuters