World oil prices have yet again shot up to record highs, spiking at an unprecedented 53 dollars a barrel in New York on the back of concerns over tight supplies ahead of winter in the northern hemisphere.
New York's benchmark light sweet crude for delivery in November shot to 53 dollars a barrel on Thursday – the highest in its 21-year history – before closing at 52.67 dollars, up 65 cents.
Brent North Sea crude surged above 49 dollars a barrel for the first time, posting a record 49.20 dollars before closing at 48.80 dollars, up 91 cents.
Market analysts attributed the new record highs to what they called "anemic" production of daily oil in the Gulf of Mexico following damages from Hurricane Ivan. According to the U.S. Interior Department, almost 27 percent of the Gulf of Mexico's 1.7 million barrels of daily oil production remains disrupted after a battering by Ivan.
A strike in oil producer Nigeria is also adding tensions.