Oil prices hit $137 after fresh Nigeria outage

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — World oil prices jumped to 137 dollars a barrel on Thursday, within reach of record heights, after another militant attack slashed output in Nigeria, Africa's biggest crude producer.

New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, spiked to 137.00 dollars per barrel before pulling back slightly. That was not far off the all-time high of 139.89 hit on Monday.

London's Brent North Sea crude for August delivery touched 137.05 dollars on Thursday. The contract had hit a life-time peak of 139.32 dollars on Monday.

Prices leapt higher on Thursday after Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell said it had shut down production at a major offshore oil facility in Nigeria because of a militant attack.

"We shut down production at...