Operations at Libyan cargo ports have shut down because of violence in the country, shipping sources said.

Sources said operations at Benghazi, Tripoli and Misurata Mediterranean ports, which handle general cargo and container shipping, had closed.

"Our line management in Italy told us this morning that Tripoli, Benghazi and Misurata ports were all closed," said John Bader, director of UK agents for Italian shipping line Tarros Spa.

"We are not proposing to send ships there until such time that we hear that the situation has eased," he told Reuters.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi signalled his defiance in the face of a mounting revolt against his 41-year rule, denying he had fled the country.

Wintesses say his forces have cracked down fiercely on anti-government demonstrators, with fighting now spreading to the capital Tripoli after erupting in Libya's oil-producing east last week. (Reuters)