THE Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), yesterday, blew up three oil pipelines in Bayelsa State, forcing Italian oil giant, Eni, to halt production from two oilfields.
The group said in an e-mail it bombed the pipelines to embarrass President Olusegun Obasanjo in his last days in office, and vowed to carry out more attacks in the world�s eight-largest crude exporter.
World oil prices rose immediately on supply concerns.
Oil exports from Nigeria were already down by about 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), or a quarter of total capacity, before the latest attacks.
�At 0100 hours Nigerian time, fighters of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta attacked and destroyed three major pipelines in Bayelsa State of the Niger Delta,� said a MEND spokesman who uses the pseudonym Jomo Gbomo.
Eni said production from two oilfields, Akri and Oshi, had been suspended. It did not detail the volume of oil affected but said it had already started repairing the pipelines, which feed its 200,000 bpd Brass oil export terminal.
Industry sources said they had detected oil spilling from the pipelines.
MEND said its bombings had cut off power to the Brass terminal, but industry sources said work continued at the facility although at a lower rate than normal because of the production cut.
MEND, which demands local control of oil wealth in the impoverished delta, carried out a string of attacks in February 2006 that reduced the nation�s output by 600,000 bpd. It threatened to blow up more pipelines between now and May 29, when Obasanjo is due to hand over to president-elect, Alhaji Umaru Yar�Adua.
MEND releases photos of hostages
The group, which seized six foreign workers from an offshore facility operated by US major, Chevron, on May 1, issued photos of the hostages yesterday. They are four Italians, one American and one Croat. All four looked healthy.
Another 14 foreign hostages are being held by different armed groups in the delta, where abductions and attacks on oil facilities have intensified in the past week.
MEND, along with other armed groups in the Niger Delta, has stepped up attacks since last month�s election that were widely condemned as fraudulent.
Gbomo said MEND wanted to make it clear it had no faith in Yar�Adua or his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, who is the out-going governor of Bayelsa State in the heart of the delta.
�We intend to destroy between now and May 29 more pipes than we have destroyed in the last one year,� Gbomo said in an email to media organisation.
The attacks on the pipelines came a day after Chevron was forced to shut down a 42,000 bpd production facility because of a protest by villagers armed with sticks and machetes. Chevron said yesterday it had not yet restored the output and was in talks with the local community to resolve the matter.
World oil prices rise
Meanwhile, world oil prices climbed, yesterday, on supply concerns as militants launched fresh attacks on oil installations in Nigeria. In London, the price of Brent North Sea crude for June delivery rose 61 cents to 65.05 dollars per barrel in electronic trading.
New York�s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in June, gained 15 cents to $61.62 per barrel in electronic deals before the official open of the US market.
Crude futures were higher on Monday, �finally reversing a six-day negative run, underpinned by news of more violence in Nigeria,� Sucden analyst Michael Davies said in London.
�Recently, crude futures fell under pressure from rising crude inventories and forecasts of increasing refinery utilisation,� he added.
As part of its avowed bid to cripple the Nigerian oil industry, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it destroyed three major pipelines in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
�Fighters of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta attacked and destroyed three major pipelines in Bayelsa State,� the group�s spokesman said in an email message to the media.
Despite concerns over stockpiles, oil producers� cartel OPEC has said it sees no need to increase output, even as the International Energy Agency (IEA), the consumers watchdog, has stressed the need to pump more crude.