Oil prices are correcting downward after updating December highs the day before, investors continue to assess the situation in the Red Sea.
The cost of February futures for Brent crude oil on London’s ICE Futures exchange as of 7:03 a.m. Q2 is $81.04 per barrel, which is $0.03 (0.04%) lower than at the close of the previous session. At the end of previous trading, these contracts rose by $2 (2.5%), to the maximum since November 30, $81.07 per barrel.
WTI crude oil futures for February at the electronic trading of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) fell by $0.15 (0.2%) to $75.42 per barrel. On Tuesday, those contracts were up $2.01 (2.7%) to $75.57 a barrel, also the highest since Nov. 30.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have attacked another cargo ship in the Red Sea, Al-Arabiya TV reported Tuesday, citing rebel military spokesman Yahya Sarea. He said the crew of the commercial ship MSC United ignored warning signals three times, after which the rebels fired rockets at it.
Also on Tuesday, the United Kingdom’s Office of Maritime Trade Operations said there were explosions and rocket launches in the Red Sea near the port of Hodeida.
Earlier, Danish transportation and logistics company A.P. Moeller-Maersk AS said it plans to resume shipping in the Red Sea after an international ship security mission. Managing partner of SPI Asset Management Stephen Innes, whose words are quoted by MarketWatch, called the mission a positive step toward restoring safe maritime transportation in the region.
