Pipeline fire shuts 21 flow stations

Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday it had shut down 21 flow stations in southern Nigeria with a combined crude oil production of more than 100,000 barrels a day after a pipeline fire last Thursday, Reuters reported. A spokesman told Reuters sabotage was suspected since a suspicious looking boat had been seen near the scene of the fire but had disappeared when further investigations were made. Companies operating in the oil-rich Niger Delta region have faced an increase in violent disruptions by local people who want a share of the oil wealth pumped from their land. The BBC reported on Wednesday that the demands of local community groups, including the militant Ijaw Youth movement, include compensation for the pollution of their land.