LAGOS, Oct 13 (AFP) - Engineers have extinguished a major Nigerian oil pipeline fire but production from the Niger delta region will be reduced by 13,000 barrels per day while repairs continue, Shell said Wednesday.
The Anglo-Dutch oil giant said that the initial damage to the Trans-Niger pipeline, which carries crude oil from wells in the delta region to the Bonny export terminal, had been caused by a hacksaw cut.
Gangs often attack oil facilities in Nigeria -- as a political protest, in order to pressure oil firms into paying protection money or in a bid to steal oil -- and it was not clear why this pipeline had been targeted.
"The leak has been clamped and the fire put out," a Shell statement said.
"An investigation has been carried out and estimated the oil spill volume to be 150 barrels. An oil response team is on site to commence recovery and clean up of spilled oil," it continued.
"Inspection of the pipeline has confirmed that the leak was as a result of a hacksaw cut on the 24 inch pipeline, not the 28 inch pipe as earlier reported. This has caused a production cutback of some 13,000 barrels per day."
Local community representatives told AFP that the spill had caused a kilometre-long slick in a nearby tidal creek, endangering fishing and farmlands over a wide area.
With oil prices running at an all time high, traders are anxiously following all reports of production difficulties, but the amount of oil lost to the export market following the latest fire is a small proportion of Nigeria's total exports of around 2.5 million barrels per day.