(New York) Oil prices tightened at the end of the session on Friday and ended higher after the attack on a British tanker claimed by the Yemeni Houthi rebels, which revives the threat of a disruption of supplies in the Middle East. East.
The price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea for delivery in March rose 1.35%, to $83.55, the highest since early December at close.
A barrel of American West Texas Intermediate (WTI) of the same maturity gained 0.84%, to $78.01, a first at close in two and a half months.
The session started in the red, black gold bending under profit taking after the rise of the last few days.
The WTI thus lost up to 1.68%, before the trend reversed, driven by the news of an attack targeting a British tanker, claimed by the Houthis.
Yemeni rebels indicated in a statement that they had fired missiles against a British ship, the Marlin Luanda, an oil tanker under the flag of the Marshall Islands and bound for Singapore, according to data from several reference sites.
According to the Houthis, the ship was “hit hard” and “caught fire”. This is the first time since the start of repeated attacks by Yemeni rebels around the Gulf of Aden that a tanker has been hit.
“It made prices jump,” commented Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group. “Geopolitical risks weigh. Supply fears are driving the market. »
The data analysis firm Ambrey Analytics had earlier reported another incident, which saw missiles explode near an Indian tanker carrying Russian oil.
The oil companies BP and Shell have already given up, until further notice, on using the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to avoid exposing themselves to possible Houthi attacks, to pass through the Cape of Good Hope.
According to the Eurasia Group firm, which relies on geolocation data, at least 70 tankers were transiting the Red Sea on Friday. Until now, many shipowners and transport companies were still ready to use the canal for higher prices, indicated this geopolitical analysis company.
For Daniel Ghali of TD Securities, this attack alone will not be enough to push prices much higher. “Additional elements are needed” to bring black gold sustainably out of the price range in which it has been operating for two months.