Armed militants attack French oil vessel

Armed militants attacked a French oil vessel in the Niger Delta on 4 January 2009. Reports indicate that the ship -- which was owned an operated by the Bourbon oil company -- was en route to Royal Dutch Shell's Bonga offshore oilfield when it was attacked near the Bonny Fairway. Authorities stated that gunmen on the ship are holding the crew of four foreign nationals from Cameroon, Ghana and Lebanon. It is not known if the militants have made contact with company representatives or if they have made any ransom demands. Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, local officials believe that Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) rebels were behind the attack. MEND leaders recently threatened to resume attacks on expatriate personnel and oil facilities following a September 2008 ceasefire. Meanwhile, militants also sabotaged an oil pipeline in the Niger Delta late on 3 January. Militants reportedly used dynamite to blow up the Odimodi-Ogulagha portion of the pipeline, which is owned by Agip, a subsidiary of the Italian energy firm ENI. MEND issued a statement on 4 January, stating that it was not involved in the attack but congratulated the local youths for carrying it out. Agip has not reported the extent of the damage to the pipeline or if the sabotage has significantly affected output.