Armed Militants Storm US Oil Platforms In Nigeria

Originally posted by ADVISOR
Before the first Navy SEAL, steps his frog leg on that rig. With who knows how many right behind, the recovery of those rigs will be swift. Many teams have trained on oil rigs in the past, to counter terror in the eighties.

No doubt US operated or owned oil will be back in "it's rightful hands"...

Sad it is when the day as such, repeats.

Originally posted by BostonBill99
It's in Nigerian territorial waters. The U. S. has no right or privilege to intercede here, without the express permission of the nigerian government.

Originally posted by BostonBill99
It's in Nigerian territorial waters. The U. S. has no right or privilege to intercede here, without the express permission of the nigerian government.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
Before the first Navy SEAL, steps his frog leg on that rig. With who knows how many right behind, the recovery of those rigs will be swift. Many teams have trained on oil rigs in the past, to counter terror in the eighties.

No doubt US operated or owned oil will be back in "it's rightful hands"...

Sad it is when the day as such, repeats.

Originally posted by BitRaiser
On a tangent, but related note, I have major conserns about the power lines runing from BC to the US west coast. There's only 5 major towers and knocking out any 3 of them would cause massive power disruptions across the US.
They are not guarded very well.

Originally posted by mrsdudara
We have major towers running from BC to the US??

How massive of a power disruption?

BBC: Speedboat attack on Nigeria rig

Sunday, 15 January 2006



Heavily armed men use speedboats to attack a Shell-operated oil platform in the Niger Delta.

There are unconfirmed reports that some soldiers defending the platform and gunmen died in the attack. On Wednesday gunmen kidnapped four foreign workers from another Shell oil rig in the Niger delta region. The hostages, who are still being held, come from the UK, the US, Honduras and Bulgaria, a Shell spokeswoman said.

The kidnappings and explosion, the latest in a string of violent incidents in the troubled region, have slashed Shell 's production there by some 220,000 barrels a day - almost 10% of Nigeria's average output of 2.6m barrels.

In a statement about the latest attack, Shell said "heavily armed persons" in attacked the platform early on Sunday. "The attackers invaded the flow station in speedboats, burnt down two staff accommodation blocks, damaged the processing facilities and left," it added. The injured members of staff have been taken to hospital, the company reported.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Nigeria: Explosion, Abductions Force Cut in Oil Production (allAfrica.com)

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

January 13, 2006


Unidentified gunmen on Wednesday invaded an offshore oil platform operated by multinational Royal Dutch Shell and abducted the oil workers - an American, a Briton, a Bulgarian and a Honduran - military officials in the region said.

Shell - which operates the EA oil platform in shallow waters off the Niger Delta coast where the oil workers were seized - said it had stopped the pumping of 120,000 barrels of crude oil produced there daily due to insecurity

Hours after the kidnappings, an explosion ruptured a pipeline transporting crude oil to Shell's Forcados export terminal, leading the company to cut another 106,000 barrels for a total daily loss of 226,000.

7 Feared Dead in Fresh Pipeline Fire (allAfrica.com)

Vanguard (Lagos)

January 13, 2006


SEVEN persons were feared dead in an early morning explosion that rocked the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) petroleum products pipeline along the Iyeke Community of Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, yesterday.

Another explosion yesterday rocked a Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) crude oil pipeline in Bayelsa State, shutting-in 106,000 barrels per day of crude oil production from four flow-stations belonging to the company

The Shell pipeline explosion is the third of such attacks against the Anglo-Dutch oil giant within the space of three weeks in the Niger Delta and it also marks an increase in the onslaught against the company's personnel and facilities in the area.

Militants Attack: Shell Shuts Down 226,000 Crude Production Facility (allAfrica.com)

This Day (Lagos)

January 13, 2006


The two incident forced Shell to shut-in a total production of about 226,000 barrels per day (bpd).

In the first attack on a support vessel working in the EA shallow offshore field operated by the Shell Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), the gunmen abducted four foreign workers, made up of US, UK, Bulgarian and Honduran nationals. According to a statement issued by SNEPCo on the incident, the four kidnapped foreigners were employees of a Shell contractors, Tidex and Ecodrill and that it had shut in production of 120,000 bpd from the EA offshore field.

the second incident, militants also attacked and set fire on Shell's Trans Ramos crude oil pipeline. The company immediately shut down four flowstations feeding the pipeline, leading to a total loss of 106,000 bpd of production. The shut flowstations were Opokushi, Benisade located in Bayelsa State, Tunu and Opotobo in Delta State.

Also two combat helicopters belonging to the Navy and five fast attack war boats have been deployed with the men of the Nigerian Armed Forces yesterday morning for the rescue operations.

Shell Evacuates Oil Platforms After Fresh Attacks (allAfrica.com)

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

January 16, 2006


Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has pulled workers from four oil platforms in Nigeria's volatile Niger Delta after armed militants launched the third attack in a week on its facilities.

Tensions have been particularly high in the delta since the Nigerian government arrested Dokubo-Asari in September and charged him with treason. He is currently in custody awaiting trial. Dokubo-Asari was charged after saying in a newspaper interview he would fight for the disintegration of Nigeria.

His Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force has taken up arms in the name of the region's majority Ijaw ethnic group, alleging that successive governments have cheated impoverished communities of the oil wealth produced on their land.

Guardian Newspapers: Militants attack another Shell platform, torch house boats

January 16, 2006


Recent attacks and kidnappings appear to be co-ordinated by the militant group with up to 500 members, which has demanded a greater share of oil revenue for the Delta region and the release of two ethnic Ijaw leaders, a diplomat said.

In an e-mail statement on Thursday last week, the MEND, said all westerners, especially Britons and Americans, were legitimate targets. It said it was not interested in a ransom and threatened more attacks on Nigeria's oil industry.

"We are capable and determined to destroy the ability of Nigeria to export oil," the statement said.

Originally posted by Zion Mainframe
We're going to see a lot more of this in the future.