Niger Delta Militants Attack Shell, Chevron Plants

Nigerian militants declare ‘oil war’, threaten tankers and pipelines

(Bloomberg) — Nigerian militants said they killed at least 22 soldiers and destroyed parts of Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Soku gas plant and Chevron Corp.’s Kula oil pumping station in overnight attacks.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, said in an e-mailed statement that it also blew up a crude pipeline at Nembe at several points. Chevron confirmed the attack on its Kula pumping station in Robertkiri, which lies in the Kula district, southwest of the main oil hub of Port Harcourt.


“There was an attack on Robertkiri flow station, though it was already shut due to pipeline leakage,” a Chevron spokesman said in a telephone interview from Lagos, declining to be identified. Shell spokeswoman Caroline Wittgen said the company is investigating reports of attacks on its facilities.

…MEND said yesterday it was declaring an “oil war” in the Niger Delta in response to a military raid on its positions. Nigeria’s army said it returned fire when militants attacked a routine patrol.

“The operation will continue until the government of Nigeria appreciates that the solution to peace in the Niger Delta is justice, respect and dialogue,” MEND said in its statement today. All international oil and gas loading vessels entering the region must drop anchor and wait at sea or they’ll be destroyed, MEND said. It repeated a warning to oil companies to evacuate staff as it plans to raze facilities “to the ground.”

Bloomberg