West Texas Intermediate futures were little changed, having climbed above $60 a barrel on Tuesday for the first time since 2015. The pipeline, which carries crude to Libya’s biggest export terminal, is said to need about a week for repairs. The operator of the critical Forties Pipeline System in the North Sea lifted all restrictions on flows caused by a crack earlier this month. Libya’s production dropped to 950,000 barrels a day on Wednesday, a person directly involved in the matter said. Output was 1.08 million barrels a day as of Dec. 18, indicating a decline of 12 percent. Loadings at Es Sider port are said to be down about 50 percent. The port was scheduled to ship 13 cargoes this month, each carrying 600,000 barrels of crude, according to a loading plan obtained by Bloomberg. Click Read More below for additional information.

“OPEC may be trumpeting success as inventories close their gap to the most recent five-year average,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas SA. “It has progressed, but OPEC is not out of the woods. The stock-draws are not enough to reverse the large builds in oil inventories that we saw between 2014 and 2016.” U.S. crude output rose by 46,000 barrels a day to 9.55 million a day, according to a report Wednesday by the EIA. That’s the highest level in a month. Gasoline stockpiles fell for a second week to 212.8 million barrels, the lowest level since August 2015. Click Read More below for additional information.

Crude rebounded over 5 percent last month, recouping February’s losses, after U.S. President Donald Trump named hawkish officials to his government, signaling the nation may pursue a more hard-line stance toward Iran. Even so, concerns persist that a rapid increase in American production, which has topped 10 million barrels a day each week since early February, could undermine efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, which are trying to balance the market by cutting output. U.S. explorers cut the number of rigs by the most since November 2017 last week, bringing the total to 797, Baker Hughes data showed. Still, the count remains near the highest in three years, and with separate data showing nationwide crude inventories climbed 1.64 million barrels in the week ended March 23, jitters over increasing U.S. supplies remain. Click Read More below for additional information.