LONDON (Dow Jones)--Italian energy group Eni SpA (ENI.MI) declared
force majeure Friday on some of its crude production in Nigeria,
following an act of sabotage on a pipeline located north of Brass River
field earlier in the week.
The attack on the pipeline Tuesday resulted in oil production loss
equivalent to 24,000 barrels per day, about 4,800 barrels per day of
Eni equity, the company confirmed.
Unrest in the Niger Delta costs Nigeria hundreds of thousands of barrels a day in lost crude oil production.
The group which claims responsibility for the majority of the attacks
on the country's energy infrastructure, the Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta, claims it is fighting for a bigger
share of the region's oil wealth.
The group has rejected an amnesty offer from the Nigerian government, aimed at ending a 3 1/2-year insurgency.
MEND has laid down the release of its leader Henry Okah, who has been
in detention for almost two years, as a crucial condition for peace in
the region.
In the last few weeks, the group has attacked more than eight strategic
oil facilities operated by Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA), Agip SpA and
Chevron Corp. (CVX).