Nigerian militants threaten tankers

WARRI, Nigeria – Militants who kidnapped nine foreign oil workers in a flurry of attacks that forced a 20 percent cut in Nigerian crude exports vowed Sunday to escalate the violence, threatening for the first time to fire rockets at international oil tankers.

While the military said tankers in Nigerian waters were safe, the West African nation is reeling from militant attacks that blasted oil and gas pipelines Saturday, damaged a key oil-loading terminal and halted the flow of more than 500,000 barrels a day.

Nigeria is Africa’s leading oil exporter and the United States’ fifth-largest supplier, usually exporting 2.5 million barrels daily.

Efie Alari, who identified himself as commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, told the Associated Press by telephone Sunday his group was poised to attack foreign oil tankers offshore.

“We’ll use our rockets on the ships to stop them from taking our oil,” Alari said.

The military said it would do whatever was necessary to ensure the safety of tankers.

Dozens of militants seized nine foreigners Saturday in an assault in the swampy Forcados estuary after storming a barge belonging to the Houston-based oil services company Willbros, which was laying pipeline for Royal Dutch Shell.

The hostages included three Americans, two Egyptians, two Thais, a Briton and a Filipino, militants and Willbros officials said.