By Randy Fabi
ABUJA (Reuters) - Militants in Nigeria's Niger Delta saidon Monday they had blown up two major oil pipelines belongingto Royal Dutch Shell, forcing the firm to halt some productionand helping push world oil prices higher.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta(MEND), whose campaign of violence has cut Nigeria's oil outputby around a fifth since early 2006, said its members conductedthe attacks early on Monday.
"Detonation engineers backed by heavily armed fighters ...sabotaged two major pipelines in Rivers state of Nigeria," itsaid in an e-mailed statement.
The group said the two pipelines were attacked at Kula --through which the Nembe Creek trunkline passes -- and atRumuekpe, located around 50 km (30 miles) west of the main oilcity of Port Harcourt.
Shell, which operates onshore in Nigeria in a joint venturewith state oil firm NNPC, said it had halted some output fromthe Nembe Creek trunkline but gave no details on the volume.
Asked about the second location at Rumuekpe, a Shellspokeswoman in Nigeria said the company was continuing to checkits facilities for any possible damage.
Oil Minister Odein Ajumogobia told Reuters Shell was stillassessing the damage and any supposed figures for the amount ofproduction shut down would be "speculative".
Industry sources said about 130,000 barrels per day ofcrude oil flows through the Nembe Creek pipeline, while some100,000 bpd passes through Rumuekpe.
Both pipelines are connected to the Bonny export terminalin Nigeria, the world's eighth largest exporter.
Oil from the facility is popular in the United States andEurope because it is easily refined into gasoline, diesel andother crude products.
U.S. crude oil prices found support from the news, tradingabove $123 a barrel on Monday.
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The Shell-operated pipeline has been a target of previousmilitant attacks, most recently in May, due to its vulnerablelocation in the deep forests of the delta -- the heart ofNigerian production.
Last week, MEND said it would target oil pipelines to proveit did not receive payments from the government to end itsattacks on the oil sector. The head of NNPC was quoted inNigerian newspapers last week as saying the company had paidmilitant groups $12 million (6 million pounds) to protectfacilities in the delta.
NNPC later said it was quoted out of context and the moneywas given to the local community, not militants.
Successive administrations in Nigeria have effectivelybought off leaders of militant groups in the Niger Delta byoffering financial rewards for laying down their weapons, astrategy known locally as "settling the boys".
MEND says it is fighting for greater control of the naturalresources in the delta, an impoverished area polluted by half acentury of oil exploration.
President Umaru Yar'Adua has pledged to try to address theroot causes of the unrest by bringing development to localcommunities but has also said he will not tolerate the presenceof armed groups in the creeks.
Plans for a long-delayed peace summit promised by hisadministration have fallen into disarray after a keygovernment-appointed mediator resigned this month and MEND saidit would not take part.
(Editing by Nick Tattersall and Mary Gabriel)
