More than half Nigeria’s oil output shut due to strike, attacks

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Roughly 58% of Nigeria’s oil pumping capacity remained shut Saturday following an ongoing oil worker’s strike and a series of recent militant attacks on energy infrastructure in Africa’s biggest crude producing nation.

Dozens of workers of Exxon Mobile Corp.’s local affiliate were off the job for a third day as the employees’ union and the company remained at odds on bridging a series of gaps over issues, like worker pay.


The Nigerian government is trying to mediate the dispute, but little progress has yet to be made.

“There’s still very little happening to resolve this,” an official at the union known as Pengassan said.

Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and its affiliates produce around 800,000 barrels per day in Nigeria.

“Essentially all production of ExxonMobil’s affiliates in Nigeria has been shut in,” an official at Mobil Producing Nigeria said.

MarketWatch