The claim came days after the group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), declared an "oil war" on foreign companies working in the country.
"A very major trunk crude oil pipeline we believe may belong to both Agip and Shell has been blown up today," the group said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.
It is the third attack in 48 hours on a Shell installation.
Photo: A number of armed groups have attacked major oil pipelines in the Niger Delta (AFP/Al Jazeera)
Sarah Simpson, a journalist reporting from Lagos, told Al Jazeera: "Shell are still investigating into Mend's report, but they are not yet able to comment on the situation.
"If indeed there has been an attack, it could be a significant pipeline. Most likely a pipeline carrying crude oil, which could affect Nigeria's oil exports.
"Mend's reports have been quite accurate in the past," she said.
Photo: Mend uses gunboats in attacking pipelines in the region (AFP/Al Jazeera)
Mend said it had destroyed the Orubiri flow station on Tuesday with the help of another armed group, the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF).
A Nigerian military spokesman confirmed to Reuters news agency on Wednesday that there had been an attack on Royal Dutch Shell's oil flow station on Tuesday.
"It is feared the facility may have caught fire due to intense, sporadic gunshots and massive dynamite and bomb explosions," Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa said.
Source: AL JAZEERA ENGLISH 17/9/08 - Shell facility attacked in Nigeria
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