A Nigerian crude oil pipeline operated by US major Chevron was sabotaged in the Niger Delta, but it was not yet clear whether production was affected, a military spokesman said on Saturday. A crude oil pipeline that feeds into the Escravos export terminal in Delta state was attacked late Friday. No group has claimed responsibility.
"The details are still scanty and we are gathering more information," spokesman Rabe Abubakar said. One security source said 100,000 barrels per day of oil output may have been cut due to the attack. Chevron officials were not immediately available for comment. A wave of attacks in the Opec member country has cut production by a fifth since early 2006.
The pipeline was located in Abiteye, where community members have attacked oil facilities in the past. Armed youths blew up the Abiteye-Olero crude pipeline in June, forcing Chevron to cut around 120,000 bpd for nearly a month. Violence in the Niger Delta stems from a complex set of factors including poverty, lack of basic services, corruption among government officials and security forces, resentment toward foreign oil companies and political thuggery.