Nigeria wants Royal Dutch Shell to reopen a major export pipeline in the Niger Delta but the oil major wants better protection first to avoid having it blown up yet again, Reuters reported. The Trans Forcados Pipeline, the primary line feeding oil to the 400,000 b/d Forcados export terminal, has been attacked several times in the past 12 months by militants fighting for a share of oil revenues.
The myriad of militant attacks compelled Shell to spend all but about three weeks of the past year repairing the shut-down pipeline.
The Delta state government, whose revenues are linked to volumes of oil in the pipeline passing through its territory, has been asking Shell when it will resume pumping, promising extra security.

As a result, officials of the Delta government have set up a committee to improve security by talking to oil firms and communities where militants often hide in the southern swampland, according to Energy Mix report.
An industry source said repair works at the Forcados pipeline had been progressing well, but the main issue was what additional security measures Nigeria could provide to prevent a new attack.