Nairobi/Abuja - Nigerian militants on Wednesday attacked a tanker carrying 4,000 tonnes of diesel and kidnapped a Romanian member of the ship's crew, reports said.

The BBC quoted private security sources as saying that the militants, who approached the MT Meredith by speedboat, blew up the ship's engine with dynamite.

The attack follows on from a similar raid on another tanker operated by Royal Dutch Shell at the weekend.

Militant raids on oil installations are common in Nigeria, where groups say they are fighting for a share of oil profits in the Niger Delta.

The Nigerian government dismisses the militant groups as criminal organizations out to make a profit from kidnap and extortion.

Late last year the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Nigeria's most prominent militant group, launched a week-long "oil war," during which it attacked platforms, pipelines and oil flow-stations owned by Chevron, Shell and Agip.

MEND says it is fighting for the rights of the impoverished residents of the Niger Delta.

Nigeria's oil output has been cut by 20 per cent due to the attacks. (dpa)