In a video released later in the day the Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack on the facility, owned by the Harouge Oil Operations Company, and warned that more such attacks would follow.
The oil terminal located just outside Ras Lanuf, which overlooks the Gulf of Sidra, had earlier come under a spate of similar attacks by the jihadi terrorists.
Libya has been in a state of turmoil since 2011, when the Arab Spring protests led to a civil war and the overthrow of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.
A number of militant groups, including Islamic State, have been operating in the country since then.