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Lagos: Nigerian rebels attacked Royal Dutch Shell's Bonga oilfield off the coast of Nigeria on Thursday, forcing the energy giant to shut down production.
The most powerful militant group in Nigeria earlier said it launched a rare attack on Thursday against an offshore oil rig but had failed to cripple the installation.
But a spokesman for Shell said the attackers hit a flow that is "the heart, the hub of the field," forcing them to shut down production.
Oil prices following the attack steadied, however, with light, sweet crude for July delivery falling 33 cents to $136.35 a barrel.
A leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta told The Associated Press that several open-hulled boats filled with militant fighters traveled through heavy seas to the Bonga oil field more than 100 kilometres from land and launched an attack against a rig there.
The fighters weren't able to enter a computer control room that they had hoped to destroy with the aim of shutting down all production from the oil field.
The militant leader spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid punishment by authorities. The account could not be immediately verified.
The militants also said they kidnapped a foreign worker from a supply vessel ferrying crew and supplies in the area, but there was no immediate confirmation.
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