Royal Dutch Shell has been forced to shut down some oil production in Nigeria to extinguish several fires on a major pipeline in the Niger Delta, a company spokesperson said on Thursday.
Shell said it was not immediately clear how the fires started on the Trans Niger pipeline at Ogoniland in Rivers state.
The Anglo-Dutch firm declined to specify how much oil output was affected.
“Shell’s oil response and fire teams today stopped some of the fires and leaks,” said spokesperson Precious Okolobo. “Oil spill containment, ground investigation and repairs are progressing on other spill sites.”
The damaged pipeline is connected to oil production fields outside Ogoniland, feeding crude to Shell’s Bonny export terminal.
Bonny Light crude is a sweet Nigerian oil that is popular with US and European refiners.
Shell stopped production at its Ogoniland oilfields in 1993 largely due to community protests over pollution and lack of infrastructure development.
Acts of sabotage against oil pipelines are common across the Niger Delta, home to Africa’s biggest oil and gas industry.
Violence in the region has prevented Nigeria from pumping much above two-thirds of its installed capacity since early 2006, costing it billions of dollars in lost revenue.