At around 1 a.m. local time Nov. 8, militants on four speedboats attacked the High Island 7 oil exploration rig, operated by the British company Afren, located about seven miles off the coast of Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region. A number of oil technicians were kidnapped from the rig, including five expatriates, and at least two technicians were wounded during the incident. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack; however, the militant Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) previously has demonstrated this kind of seaborne capability. Despite Nigerian government initiatives to reduce the threat of militancy in the Niger Delta, there is essentially an unlimited supply of local commanders and gang leaders capable and willing to attack energy sector infrastructure and kidnap personnel in order to hold them for ransom.
