Nigeria: Shell says fire hits pipeline already shut down over vandalism

Royal Dutch Shell PLC (Shell) says a fire broke out on one of its pipelines running through Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta that already had been shut down over vandalism.

Shell said Thursday that the fire hit its subsidiary Adibawa pipeline on Wednesday. Shell said the fire is now out.

Shell said the pipeline was part of its Okordia-Rumuekpe line that runs through Bayelsa state. This is the second fire on that line this month. Shell says the damage done earlier to the line came from thieves tapping into the line.

Oil spills remain common in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, more than 50 years after the country saw its first well open. Nigeria is a major supplier of crude oil to the U.S.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.