Nigeria rebels say major oil pipelines destroyed

Nigeria’s main rebel group on Monday destroyed several major oil pipelines in the south in response to a military offensive, prompting a cut in production announced at 100,000 barrels a day.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had put “out of operation” a major Chevron oil storage facility by destroying the pipelines and flow stations that feed it.
“Fighters from MEND destroyed major trunk lines,” the group said in a statement emailed to media.

US oil giant Chevron confirmed an attack on one of its pipelines in the Abiteye area of Delta State.

“To protect the environment, the incident has led to the shut in of approximately 100,000 BOPD (barrels of oil per day) production from its (Chevron) swamp operations in Delta State,” it said.

MEND has staged scores of attacks on international oil facilities in southern Nigeria as part of a campaign to get what it calls a fairer distribution of regional oil wealth to local people.

Nigeria’s oil production has been cut by more than a quarter because of the militant campaign over the past three years.

Googe