Fears for Nigerian oil hostages

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer

Negotiations are taking place to free as many as 100 foreign workers who are being held captive on four separate oil rigs off the Nigerian coast.

Local employees took control of the platforms in deep water south of the Niger Delta, after some of their colleagues were sacked, but their specific demands remain unclear.

The siege has been going on for more than a week but has only recently come to public attention.

The nationalities of those being held has not been officially released, but it is believed there are 35 Britons and 21 Americans among them.

The striking workers have refused to negotiate with their own union, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (Nupeng).

Nupeng official Elijah Okougbo said: "We even tried to fly there to mediate in the dispute but could not do so because the workers blocked the place."

'Cramped conditions'

The US firm operating the rigs, Transocean, is giving away few details and the first indications that any workers were being held at all only emerged following telephone conversations between the hostages and their families.

Some crew members started running round the rig with a fire axe

Diary from trapped rig worker

Oil siege diary

The BBC's Dan Isaacs in Lagos says this is not unusual as the oil industry tries to keep these situations quiet for as long as possible, hoping to resolve them without too much publicity.

But when approached, Transocean said it was holding discussions with the hostage-takers, and that no-one had been harmed.

Conditions on board the rig are not reported to be good.

One hostage has spoken to his wife in Britain by satellite phone describing hot, cramped conditions with little food and limited water.

Another has written an e-mail diary, describing his fear of the siege being ended by force by the Nigerian navy.

It is the first time this year that the occupation of oil rigs off the Nigerian coast has been brought to public attention.

But our correspondent says the disputes usually end peacefully after a protracted period of negotiation.

Concern

The British Foreign Office said in a statement they were concerned about the fate of the captives.

A US diplomatic source in Nigeria told Reuters news agency there were no immediate fears for their safety.

Both held back from describing them as hostages.

The general secretary of the international offshore oil workers' union, the Oil Industry Liaison Committee, Jake Molloy, said 34 workers were allowed to leave the platforms on Monday in a goodwill gesture.

But he said a threat from Transocean to send bailiffs and armed guards to clear the platforms had not been helpful.

"If the bailiffs appear, the Nigerian workers have threatened to fight back," he said.

Last month violence in the western Niger Delta led to three oil multinationals suspending their operations, cutting Nigeria's daily exports of crude oil by some 40%.

Nigeria is the world's sixth largest oil exporter.