Kidnapped Pinoy oil workers in Nigeria in good health

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Two Filipino oil workers taken hostage this week in the Niger delta are in good health, their employer, Norwegian oil services company Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS), said on Friday.

The two Filipinos working near Port Harcourt were abducted on Tuesday at Aker, near a navy base in the city, by six armed men in a speedboat, but no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"PGS is pleased to report that it has received further information concerning the state of the two hostages and confirms that they are both in good health," company spokesman Ola Boesterud told AFP.

"The company hopes that contact can soon be established with the hostage takers and is coordinating efforts to bring this situation to a quick and successful conclusion," he said.

Boesterud declined to say whether any demand for ransom had been received, or what his sources of information were.

Earlier Friday, Nigerian officials said security services appeared to have established contact with the kidnappers.

Port Harcourt is at the heart of the Niger Delta region where several oil firms have their operational bases.

Since January, the region has seen a wave of attacks against foreign oil companies and their employees, launched by armed separatists and local communities demanding a larger share in oil revenues and compensation for the destruction of their ecosystem by oil exploration.

Apart from the two Filipinos, 29 expatriates working for oil firms have been kidnapped since the beginning of the year. All have been released unharmed.