Sanaa , Yemen ( CNN ) -- Militants blew up a major oil pipeline in Yemen on Saturday , three senior government officials said . The attack halted oil production , and crews worked to fix the line , which links the Masila oilfield to port the port town of Shihr . The militants planted explosive devices under the pipe in the Urf Valley of the southern Hadramout province . Yemen crude oil exports are the mainstay of the impoverished country 's economy , and halts in production pose a serious threat to stability . The vandalized pipeline transports more than 100,000 barrels per day . Yemen oil infrastructures have increasingly been the targets of attacks over the last year . `` Lost oil production due to pipeline attacks cost the government more than $ 1 billion in 2012 , and cost the government even more in 2013 , '' an Oil Ministry official told CNN on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to media . The Yemeni Prime Minister 's office said that the government has for months carefully guarded its pipelines , fearing that terror or tribal groups could attempt to damage country 's economy by vandalizing them . Security experts have warned that the government 's inability to preserve state infrastructures may lead to a vote of no confidence and potentially to political instability . `` The more attacks on oil pipelines , the less of a chance Yemen has to recover from its economic woes , '' said AbdulSalam Mohammed , President of the Sanaa based Abaad Research Center . `` This is something Yemen can not possibly afford given the size of its state deficit . ''
The pipeline attack halted oil production , and crews worked to fix it . Yemen crude oil exports are the mainstay of the impoverished country 's economy . The government fears militants may try vandalize pipelines to cause economic instability . Experts fear a weakened economy could lead to more political turmoil .