Nigerian sabotage shuts in 25,000 b/d crude since late Aug: Shell

Platts

26 February 2011

Nigerian sabotage shuts in 25,000 b/d crude since late Aug: Shell

Shell said Monday repeated sabotage of its production facilities in the Niger Delta by oil thieves has shut in 25,000 b/d of Nigerian oil production for nearly a month now.

Shell said the closure since August 28 of its Imo River oil field which straddles southern Abia and Rivers states and has five flow stations would remain in force until the thieves cutting pipelines with hacksaws to siphon crude had been dislodged from the area.

"The scale of crude theft is unprecedented. Within September alone, we discovered some 16 illegal bunkering points within Imo River Field," Shell said.

"Besides the money lost to government, a significant portion of the stolen volumes are spilled affecting large swathes of land," the company said.