Oil prices rise due to hurricane

Los Angeles News.Net
Wednesday 27th August, 2008

Oil prices rose to above $117 a barrel Wednesday on concerns that Tropical Storm Gustav may disrupt operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulf, home to a quarter of US crude production, has been hit by Gustav, which roared ashore on Haiti Tuesday near the city of Jacmel as a hurricane with top sustained winds near 145 kph.

The storm's wind strength has now dropped to around 95 kph, but it is expected to get stronger later this week and continue moving toward the west-northwest.

A powerful storm in the Gulf could force shutdowns on the offshore rigs that account for about a quarter of US crude production and much of its natural gas.

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