Oil workers taken hostage in southern Nigeria

LAGOS – Suspected militants took several oil workers hostage in southern Nigeria in an overnight attack on a vessel operated by a subsidiary of Italian oil giant ENI, a senior military officer said Wednesday.

“The incident involved a ship owned by an Italian company somewhere around Rivers State. We understand several workers were aboard the vessel at the time of the seizure,” the army major told AFP.The military officer could not immediately say if any foreign worker was involved in the abduction, the latest of several such incidents to rock Nigeria’s volatile Niger Delta region in recent months.An industry source said the incident involved a vessel operated by Saipem, a construction arm of ENI.Ireju Barasua, a police spokeswoman in Rivers State in the Delta, told AFP she had not yet received official confirmation of the attack.”We have been receiving calls that there has been an attack but we are still trying to confirm,” she said.In Lagos, a spokesman for Agip, another ENI group company, said he had no information on any attack on any vessel belonging to the group.No group has so far claimed responsibility for the latest attack.The Niger Delta, home to Nigeria’s multi-billion-dollar oil and gas resources, has seen a resurgence in violence since the beginning of the year, with armed groups stepping up attacks on oil installations and personnel.The groups, who frequently kidnap foreign oil workers, say they are seeking a larger share of the country’s oil wealth and jobs for the local community.Since the start of the year dozens of local and foreign workers have been kidnapped and released after spending days or even weeks in captivitity, while around 60 security personnel have been killed during confrontations with the militants.In some instances oil companies have paid ransoms running into millions of dollars to obtain the release of hostages, but they never admit to this publicly.Militants vacated an oil pumping station operated by Agip only on Sunday after a two-week siege, freeing some 30 workers and soldiers.Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and the world’s sixth oil producer, accounts for some 2,6 million barrels of crude in daily exports, but recent unrest in the Niger Delta has cut back output by a quarter.Nampa-AFPWe understand several workers were aboard the vessel at the time of the seizure,” the army major told AFP.The military officer could not immediately say if any foreign worker was involved in the abduction, the latest of several such incidents to rock Nigeria’s volatile Niger Delta region in recent months.An industry source said the incident involved a vessel operated by Saipem, a construction arm of ENI.Ireju Barasua, a police spokeswoman in Rivers State in the Delta, told AFP she had not yet received official confirmation of the attack.”We have been receiving calls that there has been an attack but we are still trying to confirm,” she said.In Lagos, a spokesman for Agip, another ENI group company, said he had no information on any attack on any vessel belonging to the group.No group has so far claimed responsibility for the latest attack.The Niger Delta, home to Nigeria’s multi-billion-dollar oil and gas resources, has seen a resurgence in violence since the beginning of the year, with armed groups stepping up attacks on oil installations and personnel.The groups, who frequently kidnap foreign oil workers, say they are seeking a larger share of the country’s oil wealth and jobs for the local community.Since the start of the year dozens of local and foreign workers have been kidnapped and released after spending days or even weeks in captivitity, while around 60 security personnel have been killed during confrontations with the militants.In some instances oil companies have paid ransoms running into millions of dollars to obtain the release of hostages, but they never admit to this publicly.Militants vacated an oil pumping station operated by Agip only on Sunday after a two-week siege, freeing some 30 workers and soldiers.Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and the world’s sixth oil producer, accounts for some 2,6 million barrels of crude in daily exports, but recent unrest in the Niger Delta has cut back output by a quarter.Nampa-AFP