hardman and tullow both well up in london, page-3

serious problems in nigeria Nine foreigners abducted in Nigeria
From correspondents in Lagos
February 18, 2006

NINE foreigners working for oil giant Shell were kidnapped from a barge in the Niger Delta today by armed militants, a company source said.

A company manager, who asked not to be identified, told AFP guerrillas had attacked a pipelaying boat off the Forcados oil terminal about 5am (3pm AEDT) and had taken the men hostage.

They also attacked and damaged part of the oil terminal and clashed with Nigerian soldiers, the source said.

Meanwhile, an emailed statement from ethnic Ijaw militants said they had launched a campaign against the government and the oil industry in response to two air strikes against them in the past week.

"As a result of attacks against Ijaw communities in Delta State, we decided in response to pleas from our kin in these communities, to carry out strikes against oil and gas facilities in Delta state," it said.

"Workers in the oil industry are hereby requested to vacate all installations with immediate effect," it said.

"All pipelines, flow stations and crude loading platforms will be targeted for destruction within the next few hours by our units," it warned.

The statement was sent before the Forcados attack took place, and did not mention it, but it said that a gas pipeline belonging to the Nigerian government had been blown up.

Henry Imhanlenjaye, a boat captain from the nearby port city of Warri, said gunfire had been heard around the Forcados terminal and an explosion had rocked the creeks.

A Nigerian military spokesman would not comment on the incident.

The nationality of the captured workers was not immediately clear. They were working with Nigerian colleagues on a barge belonging to the US engineering firm Willbros, a Shell subcontractors, the company source said.

Last month, ethnic Ijaw militants blew up an oil pipeline, kidnapped four western oil contractors and held them for 19 days and attacked several oil facilities, killing a total of 22 soldiers and police and three workers.