Force majeure is a legal term releasing a company from contractual obligations due to circumstances beyond its control. Shell's Nigerian subsidiary had suspended loadings at Bonny and Forcados on October 19 because of theft, flooding and damage to the supply pipelines. Pipeline damage and associated spills are common in the Niger Delta region as a result of oil theft to feed the lucrative black market.
Militants claiming to be fighting for a fairer distribution of oil revenue have also regularly blown up pipelines, though such attacks have decreased since a 2009 amnesty deal. Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, exporting between two and 2.4 million barrels per day in recent months.