US oil companies Occidental Petroleum, Amerada Hess and ChevronTexaco were awarded the majority of the 15 exploration licences issued by Libya on Saturday in a move that clears the way for US companies to return to the north African country for the first time since 1986.

European oil companies were not so fortunate. Repsol of Spain, Italy’s Eni and OMV of Austria, which have all operated in Libya during the 19 years of US sanctions, did not receive any new licences, while BP and Royal Dutch/Shell Group also missed out.