A rocket attack on a Japanese oil tanker off the coast of Yemen and more violence in Nigeria prompted oil prices to briefly hit a record $117.60 US a barrel Monday.
The tanker, operated by Japan's Nippon Yusen K.K., was attacked off the east coast of Yemen by militants with a rocket launcher from a small unidentified boat, according to a report by Kyodo News. The vessel was en route to Saudi Arabia.
None of the boat's 23 crew members was reported injured in the attack on the 135,000-tonne tanker. Japanese transport officials said damage to the ship's stern was causing fuel to seep from the vessel, according to the report.
In Nigeria, militants claimed they had staged two more attacks on pipelines in the country's oil-rich southern region. The attacks were not immediately confirmed.
The price of light, sweet crude for May delivery later dropped Monday morning to $117 US, up 31 cents US from Friday's close, on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
With files from the Associated Press