The United Nations sought to salvage talks over a ceasefire for Libya on Wednesday, after the government based in Tripoli announced overnight that it was pulling out after a single day, to protest against the shelling of the port in the capital, Eurasia Diary reports citing TRT News.

Talks began on Tuesday in Geneva between the internationally recognised Tripoli government and its main rivals, Libya National Army (LNA) led by warlord Khalifa Haftar which has been trying to take the capital.

Late on Tuesday, the government said it would suspend its participation after the LNA shelled Tripoli port.

UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame was trying to convince the Tripoli delegation to stay in Geneva and resume indirect talks, a source said. Another source confirmed in more general terms that Salame was working to keep the talks from collapsing.

"Salame is trying to fix this," said one of the sources, adding that the government's reaction was being seen as a "protest" and not necessarily a full withdrawal from talks.

There was no immediate comment from Libya's government.

Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in oil-rich Libya: Haftar in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt, the UAE as well as France and Russia, and the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, which is backed by Turkey, Italy and Qatar and enjoys the UN and international recognition.

Since the LNA marched on Tripoli nearly a year ago, fighting has displaced 150,000 people.

The Geneva meetings have so far been held in different rooms, with Salame shuttling between the parties.

The LNA initially said its strikes on Tuesday had targeted Turkish vessel. It later said it had hit an arms depot.

But Mustafa al Mujie, spokesman for Operation Volcano of Anger, a military campaign launched by government forces, said the Haftar attack left a number of commercial vessels and goods in flames, denying reports that claimed a Turkish ship or ammunition warehouse was targeted.

Turkish officials later in the day confirmed that Haftar's militants had fired on a Turkish ship near the docks. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters the attack "missed its target" and Turkish forces fired back.