DHAKA: Rebels who seized oil ports in eastern Libya say they have loaded oil on to a North Korean-flagged tanker.

The Morning Glory docked at Sidra port earlier on Saturday, after a failed attempt to dock on Tuesday.

‘We started exporting oil. This is our first shipment,’ a rebel spokesman said. The rebels demand more autonomy, and oil wealth, for Libya’s east.

Libya’s state-owned National Oil Corp (NOC) had warned tankers against approaching the port, and two others in Libya’s volatile east that are also controlled by armed groups.

It is not the first attempt to ship oil from the rebel-controlled port.

On Monday the Libyan navy ship Ibn Auf fired warning shots at a Maltese-flagged oil tanker to prevent it from docking and loading oil.

The owners of the ship complained it was fired on in international waters, reports the BBC.

BDST: 2039 HRS, MAR 08, 2014