Gunmen in speedboats attacked three oil services ships and kidnapped at least two Russians in separate incidents in Nigeria's Niger Delta, security sources working in the oil industry said on Saturday. The Falcon Crest and Falcon Wings were attacked late on Friday off the coast of southern Nigeria's Akwa Ibom state near crude oil facilities operated by Canada's Addax Petroleum.
A Filipino captain on one of the vessels was killed, one security source said. The gunmen were believed to have fled to nearby Cameroonian waters. No group has claimed responsibility.
Akwa Ibom, which shares a border with Cameroon, has seen an increase in piracy and kidnappings in the past few months. Nigeria handed over the nearby oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon four months ago, angering many Nigerians whose families have since resettled in Akwa Ibom. Militants in the area have objected to the August 14 transfer of the Bakassi peninsula to comply with a World Court ruling.
Friday's attacks took place in the offshore area known as OML 123, referring to the 370 sq-km licence area controlled by Addax. Six similar incidents occurred earlier this year, the most recent two weeks ago, a security source said. Addax and police officials were not immediately available for comment.
A third ship, operated by Nigerian oil company Monipulo, was attacked by pirates early Saturday near the Abana offshore oilfields, located close to the Nigeria-Cameroon border. Gunmen in speedboats also attacked a housing compound and kidnapped two Russians working for an aluminium company in the port town of Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom early on Saturday, security sources said.
The two Russians worked for Nigeria's sole aluminium smelter plant ALSCON, which is owned by the world's largest aluminium producer Russia's United Company RUSAL. Piracy is common in the Gulf of Guinea off Nigeria's Atlantic coast while attacks on oil industry facilities and kidnappings for ransom are frequent in the creeks of the Niger Delta, home to Africa's biggest oil and gas industry.
The militants say they are fighting for a fairer share of the region's natural resources. Criminal gangs also fund themselves through the theft of crude oil and ransoms. Hundreds of foreigners have been seized in the region since early 2006, most of whom have been released unharmed. The insecurity has cut Nigeria's oil output, which averages around 2 million barrels per day, by a fifth over the past three years.
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