Explosion rocks Nigerian oil pipeline

Saboteurs blew up a major oil pipeline near Warri in the Niger Delta Saturday, Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. said Monday. The blast caused a fire that was still raging Monday morning, according to Saudi News Agency.

April 7, 2003

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Apr. 7 -- Saboteurs blew up a major oil pipeline near Warri in the Niger Delta Saturday, Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. said Monday. The blast caused a fire that was still raging Monday morning, according to Saudi News Agency.

The pipeline supplies crude from Chevron Nigeria Ltd.'s Escravos oil terminal to refineries in Warri and in Kaduna, 700 km to the north.

The explosion came amid reports of renewed fighting in the Niger Delta area between ethnic militants who battled for 12 days in March, killing 100 people and forcing oil companies to curtail operations (OGJ Online, Mar. 24, 2003). Militants also reportedly had control of several pipeline flow stations and threatened at that time to destroy them.