Nigeria Sends Warships to Free Oil Rig Hostages

Ships of the Nigerian navy were steaming towards four offshore oil rigs last night to confront striking workers who have held dozens of British and American colleagues hostage in a two-week stand-off.

A navy spokesman said the warships would use force if necessary to take control of the rigs and rescue the expatriates, prompting concern that the strikers would destroy the installations.

Talks between the strikers' union and the American drilling company which operates the rigs were deadlocked in Port Harcourt last night. Relatives of the hostages feared the navy's deployment would scupper chances of a peaceful outcome.

At least 35 Britons and 19 Americans are among the 97 foreigners stranded on what are effectively floating prisons, 25 miles offshore in the Gulf of Guinea. What started as an industrial dispute escalated into a siege when Nigerian workers armed themselves with axes and threatened to blow up the rigs.

The spokesman for the Nigerian navy said: "The navy is directly involved now. We are trying to make sure things are settled peacefully. Our men will move to take control of the rigs."

Asked what the navy would do if the strikers resisted attempts to board the platforms, he replied: "What action would you expect military men to take?" He added that the operation would take place "immediately".

According to emails from the hostages it was the news they did not want to hear. In a stream of communications passed by relatives to the hostages' union, the Aberdeen-based Offshore Industry Liaison Committee, they said the strikers had threatened mayhem if attacked.

One Scottish captive wrote to his wife: "They flared up and are extremely angry at the thought that the military or armed people are going to come and forcibly remove them from the rig.

"They threatened violence, in particular to blow up the rig and kill everybody on board. They are going mental. They were chanting and singing and ringing strike bells."

The public address systems have allegedly been used to broadcast chants and the repeated sound of spoons on metal pots.

An email from another worker was equally grim: "Make no mistake of the danger we're in. If they have lost everything, they will make sure we lose everything. And that means our lives."

Some hostages said they would jump into the sea if necessary but other hostages said the captors had apologised for the threats and indicated that it was all a bluff.

So far there have been no reports of violence or injuries, though two workers are said to have had nervous breakdowns. It is not known if the strikers have weapons other than the axes.

In previous cases where foreign oil workers in the Niger Delta were held hostage they were freed unharmed. Diplomats said this crisis would probably end in the same way.

A decision to discipline five Nigerian workers sparked the dispute but the strikers are now said to be most concerned about avoiding management retribution and keeping their jobs and benefits.

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, which has not supported the strike, warned of retaliation if the navy was heavy handed. A spokesman said: "If they use force and hurt any of our members, we will hurt the economy."

The rigs drill wells for the oil multinationals Royal Dutch/Shell and TotalFinaElf but they are owned by Transocean, the world's largest offshore drilling company, based in Houston.