The Trans Forcados export line was attacked late Tuesday, they said, just hours after President Muhammadu Buhari met with representatives of militant groups in the oil-rich Niger delta to discuss how to end the unrest plaguing the region.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack.
“The attack was carried out with the aid of dynamite and it is coming less than 48 hours after the resumption of operations at the flow station,” a security official, who declined to be named, told AFP.
The pipeline was attacked in July and had only resumed operation at the weekend following repairs.
“The entire river is flooded with contents from the damaged trunkline and we are at the receiving end.”
The line is operated by the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and receives crude from Batan near Warri.
Since February, several militant groups have attacked oil facilities, slashing the nation’s output and hammering revenues.
Following peace talks in Abuja chaired Tuesday by the president, junior oil minister Emmanuel Kachikwu said the country’s oil production was returning to normal.
“The reality is that as of today and this morning, we are at 2.1 million barrels production. That’s substantial,” he said, adding that efforts to secure peace were succeeding.
Nigeria normally produces around 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd), but output dropped to a low of 1.4 bpd this year due to rebel attacks.
- AFP
