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| Breaking: Shell evacuates staff as platforms come under attack by Niger Delta Avengers |
Niger Delta militants have launched another attacked in the oil-rich region.
Royal Dutch Shell has been forced to evacuate most of its staff from the Niger Delta area. News coming out from the area says a shell facility has been attacked but details are sketchy and Oil and Gas People is waiting for more information.
The news of this latest attack by the group comes after a Chevron facility suffered a similar assault last week. In that attack militants used explosive and later claimed to have "blown the platform up".
The Niger Delta Avengers, the newest militant group in the oil-rich region, has forced Royal Dutch Shell to evacuate most of its staff from a production facility in the blighted region. The evacuation was carried out by three helicopters on Saturday, according to Sahara Reporters. The exercise will continue on Sunday in the firm’s facilities across the Niger Delta region.
Saturday’s evacuation, which saw 98 key personnel rescued, was overseen by helicopters from Eja OML 79, run by Royal Dutch Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC).
The petroleum installation normally produces 90k barrels of oil per day, which has now been completely halted. Sources said that a small group of staff has been left on the platform to carry out skeletal operations.
The staff and facility are currently being protected by two gunboats belonging to the federal government’s military joint task force.
Eja 79 is close to the Bonga Field, which has a larger production capacity and is operated by another Shell subsidiary, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).
Some staff have been evacuated from Bonga while the wider security implication is being reviewed by the company.
Since the Niger Delta Avengers began attacking oil facilities in the region, they have hit an oil platform Okan field facility run by Chevron, resulting in the loss of gas supplies to power plants across Nigeria.
Gas plants in Omotosho, Geregu, Ughelli, Olorunsogo and Egbin had to shut down as the main pipeline run by the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) was blown up.
While Chevron sources said they could fix their issue in two weeks, the NGC may not be able to restore its gas link for a while.
The militants also blew up the oil pipeline that supplies crude to Warri and Kaduna refineries, therefore, crippling Nigeria’s ability to refine some four million gallons of gasoline per day.
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