Gunmen in speed boats kidnapped seven foreign oil workers in a raid on an Italian oil production vessel off the Nigerian coast on Wednesday, authorities said. Italian oil company Eni closed down its 50,000 barrels-a-day Okono/Okpoho oilfield as a result of the attack, an industry source said.
"The aggressors left with seven hostages," Eni said in a statement. They were two Finns, a Briton, an Italian, a Filipino, a Pole and a Romanian, a spokesman added.
The facility, located 34 miles (55 km) off the coast of the Niger Delta, is a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel, a stationary tanker with crude oil and gas processing facilities on top and a loading buoy attached.