Oil pipeline in Nigeria damaged in explosion

Yenagoa: A pre-dawn explosion damaged an Eni SpA oil pipeline in Nigeria's restive southern oil region on Thursday, a military official said.

Col. Chris Musa, the head of the Bayelsa State military, said the blast "affected output" on the pipeline owned by Agip, a subsidiary of the Italian energy giant.

He did not say how much oil output decreased or how severe the damage was. Musa also declined to comment on what might have caused the explosion and did not say if there were any casualties.

Security contractors familiar with the blast said the pipeline normally carries about 45,000 barrels a day. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Attacks on oil industry infrastructure in the past two years have slashed oil output by almost a quarter in Nigeria, Africa's top crude producer. The instability has helped push worldwide crude prices to historic highs.