Shell resumes oil output at Nigeria EA field

ABUJA (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday it has resumed oil output at its EA oilfield in Nigeria, a rare bright spot for an industry battered by a string of militant attacks in the last two months.

A Shell spokesman said offshore production resumed at its 115,000 barrel per day oilfield after being idle for three years because of security concerns.

"EA resumed production about three weeks ago and is slowly ramping up," said a Shell spokesman. He declined to say how much the field was currently producing.

Traders said EA oil shipments were estimated between 60,000 bpd and 65,000 bpd for August.

The EA platform, which was shut in early 2006, was one of the first targets of the Movement of the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Nigeria's main militant group.

Since then, MEND has devastated the OPEC member's oil industry and has kept Nigeria from pumping above two-thirds of its installed capacity, costing it billions of dollars in lost revenue.

The militant group, which says it is fighting for a fairer share of the Niger Delta's wealth, declared a 60-day cease-fire in its offensive last week to provide a chance for peace talks with the government.

But it has also threatened oil companies that if it tries to repair damaged pipelines, flow stations and other facilities that rebels will attack them again.

MEND attacks have forced Shell, U.S. oil major Chevron and Italy's Agip to cut around 300,000 bpd in the last two months and has helped support global oil prices. (Additional reporting by Joe Brock in London; Editing by Keiron Henderson)