Militants destroy oil pipeline

2009-06-18 13:04

Lagos - Nigeria's main militant group said on Wednesday it had destroyed a major crude oil pipeline belonging to Royal Dutch Shell as it continues its campaign against foreign oil companies.

MEND fighters "in furtherance of ... our campaign to cripple the entire oil and gas export of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ... destroyed with high explosives a major crude oil trunk line in Bayelsa state belonging to Shell," the group said in a statement.

The pipeline feeds Shell's Forcados exports terminal, which the company said earlier Wednesday would not resume operations for another two months due to delays in repairing another key pipeline damaged by vandals.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has staged numerous attacks on international oil facilities in southern Nigeria as part of its campaign to get what it calls a fairer distribution of the region's oil wealth to local people.

New campaign

MEND declared earlier this month a new campaign against oil companies and carried out several attacks on installations on facilities belonging to the US company Chevron.

Shell has been a regular target of attacks by militants in southern Nigeria over the past three years, forcing it to shut down some facilities and several times defer contractual obligations to clients.

In February it declared force majeure on shipments from its main Nigerian Bonny terminal due to increased attacks by insurgents on key facilities.

Unrest in the Niger Delta has substantially reduced Nigeria's oil output, putting pressure on crucial export earnings.

Daily oil production in Nigeria currently stands at 1.8 million barrels, according to the latest June report of the International Energy Agency, lower than the 2.6 million barrels of 2006.

- SAPA