Sunday, June 22, 2008

Nigerian militants blow up a key oil pipeline!
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Updated:17:40, Saturday June 21, 2008

Nigerian militants have blown up up a key oil supply pipeline operated by the American company Chevron.

Militants want share of oil wealthThe US oil giant was forced to shut down its operations following the attack in the volatile Niger Delta.

The action halts output by 120,000 barrels per day.

The attack follows an unprecedented raid on an oil field fun by Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell.

The company said it could not promise to deliver 225,000 barrels per day for June and July.

Unrest in the Niger Delta has reduced Nigeria's total oil production by a quarter in the past two years.

The losses have contributed significantly to the recent surge in world oil prices.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

The raid on Shell's Bonga oilfields on Thursday by speedboats was claimed by the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) which has carried out a string of attacks on oil facilities in recent months.

MEND, the best equipped and most organised of the armed groups operating in the Niger Delta, has urged foreign workers to leave the region, warning of fresh unrest following a government crackdown on the militants.

According to International Energy Agency statistics, Nigeria produced an average 2.13 million bpd in 2007, making it the 13th biggest producer in the world.