08 October 2012, Sweetcrude, Lagos – Nigeria LNG on Friday declared a force majeure on plant output after an attempt to steal crude oil from a pipeline led to a fire, Shell said.
“An attempt was made to steal crude oil from the Bomu-Bonny trunk line and offload it onto a waiting ship that led to a fire on the line and on the ship on Sunday,” a Shell spokesman told Reuters.
The force majeure, which covers the company should delivery not occur due to circumstances beyond its control, took effect as of 4 October, he said.
Shell, which has a 25.6% stake in Nigeria LNG, on Sunday shut its 28-inch Bomu-Bonny trunk line after oil thieves caused a fire, it said.
Africa’s top oil producer, which is ranked seventh in the world for LNG exports, loads tankers from its Bonny Island liquefaction plant in the Niger Delta for export to Europe, Asia and the US.
The other stakeholders in Nigeria LNG are state-run energy firm NNPC with 49%, Total (15%) and Eni (10.4%).
