Lagos — The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has declared a force majeure on the exports of 50,000 barrel per day (bpd) from the Okono-Okpoho oilfield following Thursday's attack on the Mystras Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel by armed militants in the Niger Delta.

According to report, the force majeure will affect a tanker that was due to berth at the field today.

The operatorship of the Okono-Okpoho oil field was only recently transfered to the NNPC after more than six years in the hands of Italy's Saipem and SBM Offshore.

The latest declaration takes the total oil production halted due to militant attacks in the oil-rich region to about 665,000 bpd.

Mystras FPSO vessel is supplied by crude oil coming from Okono and Okpoho fields jointly producing 65,000 b/d, of which Eni equity is 11,500 b/d.

Eni is undertaking all the due controls in order to get the production back to normal in the shortest time possible.

Eight of the floater's crew were briefly taken hostage in the raid. They were released six hours after being abducted from the facility, which is moored at the field, about 55 kilometres off Port Harcourt.

Attacks on oil facilities and kidnapping of their expatriate workers have been the order of the day in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Over 70 foreign oil workers were taking hostages in the spate of attacks last year, a development which prompted some oil companies, among them, Shell and Eni Corporation to relocate relatives of their expatriate staff, citing insecurity in the region.

The dreaded group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) often claims responsibility for most of the attacks, including the kidnapping, last year of three Italian workers of Eni. The captors often seek ransom payments from companies where the foreigners work before releasing their victims.

The resurgence of abduction of foreign workers came barely one month after the dreaded militants freed the last set of hostages in their camp.