Lagos, Oct 10 (IANS): The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria Wednesday closed down the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) in the southern Niger Delta region following reports of new leaks.

The incident came up barely 10 days after the line was repaired from crude oil theft incidents, reported Xinhua citing the oil company in a statement, which added production of some 150,000 barrels of oil per day has been deferred due to the shutdown.

According to the statement, the latest leaks were reported at B- Dere, Nonwa-Tai and Bodo West -- all in Ogoni land. The oil firm said it shut the line as a precautionary measure after receiving reports of the incidents and has also mobilised a spill response team.

The oil company recently expressed concerns over the increasing cases of organised theft of crude oil in the Niger Delta region of Africa's top oil producer.

Shell had previously suggested about 150,000 bpd of oil was lost to oil thieves and pipeline vandals.