Guerrilla fighters launched multiple attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta on Saturday, kidnapping nine foreign workers and forcing Shell to suspend exports from a major terminal.
Heavily-armed rebels stormed a pipeline laying barge working off the energy giant's 380,000-barrel-per-day Forcados terminal, abducted expatriate staff and set fire to an offshore platform used to load crude onto tankers.
The firm said that it had been forced to suspend exports from Forcados, which could cut Nigeria's supply of crude to the world market by 15 percent, and confirmed that one of its pipelines had also been blown up.
Captain Obiara Medani, spokesman for the Nigerian navy, said there was an exchange of fire between government security forces and the militants.
In a statement, Shell said: "A barge belonging to an SPDC contractor in the Forcados Estuary was attacked this morning. We understand that nine expatriates have been taken hostage but are unable to make further comments."
US oil services contractor Willbros Group confirmed that nine employees, including three Americans, two Egyptians, two Thais and one Filipino, were kidnapped.
Willbros "has not, at this time, been contacted by the group which has claimed responsibility," it said.
It said it had a crisis management team "working closely with the appropriate parties and authorities to seek an early and safe resolution of the situation."
A US State Department spokesman called for the "unconditional release" of the US citizens.
The kidnappers said they also had abducted a Briton. The British Foreign Office confirmed that one of its nationals, John Hudspith, was among those kidnapped.
The kidnappers warned that they planned to step up their war on the oil industry in retaliation for government airstrikes.
The hostages were seized from a barge operated by their employer, the US engineering firm Willbros, by an armed gang at around 5am.
"There was shooting on the barge and there have been some casualties. At the moment this appears to be a couple of navy personnel, one badly injured," said an internal oil industry security report.
"Four speedboats attacked Forcados Crude Loading Platform and set it on fire," the report said, adding "there is a large hole in the CLP export line."
Nigeria's Information Minister Frank Nweke, speaking on behalf of President Olusegun Obasanjo, condemned the hostage taking and said that the government would seek to release the hostages through negotiation.
"There can be absolutely no justification for what amounts to a criminal attempt to prevent people from going about their lawful business ... and create further room for some persons to criminally enrich themselves," he said.
The crude loading platform which was attacked lies 20km offshore and is used to supply super-tankers.
Shell said the fire had been put out but that it was not clear when exports would resume.
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Nigeria attack fuels oil concerns
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