A NORTH-EAST oil rig worker has spoken of his ordeal after being held captive by machete-wielding African tribesmen.

Paul Nellist believes he and 16 other Western hostages only got out alive after relatives contacted the British embassy in Nigeria.

Paul, 49, from Middlesbrough, Teesside, was one of six Britons among 17 Westerners working on the Trident 8 rig - a £1.5bn gas and oil project three miles off the coast of Nigeria.

The rigs have become targets for jungle tribesmen, who seize equipment and demand ransom or the provision of facilities for the village in exchange for the safe release of Western workers.

Late at night on August 23, the workers realised tribesmen were clambering on to the Trident 8 armed with knives and machetes.

Mr Nellist was able to make a quick phone call home to tell his partner, Gwen Hurst, what was happening.

He said: "I could see the natives meant business and the Nigerian workers on the rig weren't prepared to stop them. I told Gwen this was it, that I loved her but might never see her again."

Mr Nellist and the other Westerners were forced to flee for their lives, barricading themselves into an accommodation quarter.

A Nigerian radio operator, who was badly beaten by the tribesmen, then acted as go-between and interpreter.

"It was a very tense situation. There were 50 natives on board, armed to the teeth, and the leader said he was going to kill us all," said Mr Nellist.

"On a couple of occasions we heard them trying to smash their way through to get at us. I honestly thought we were all going to die on that rig."

Mr Nellist's partner, Gwen said: "I was beside myself with worry. I had one call from Paul on Thursday when I could hear loud screaming and was told the natives were boarding the rig."

By Sunday, Mr Nellist was convinced he was going to die on the rig.

"A witch doctor was performing a ritual on board the rig, which we were told was a kind of war dance.

"The natives were becoming frenzied and we thought it was just a matter of time before they battered their way through to get to us.

"We armed ourselves with spanners, bolts, anything we could get hold off."

To the immense relief of the workers the siege ended after four days and the natives began leaving the rig, having stripped it of all the tools and clothes they could get hold of.

A spokesman for Shell said last night: "We did move quickly to secure the safe release of the hostages and the relevant embassies and high commissions of the various nationalities involved were contacted within hours of the incident starting.

"We felt the best way in the circumstances was not to negotiate with the hostage takers until they had left the rig."