CRUDE oil rose following the latest strike by Yemen¡¯s Houthis on a container ship in the Red Sea and retained the gain when trading resumed the next day, reports.

Crude oil booked its biggest gain in over a week, according to Bloomberg, following the news that the Houthis had struck a container vessel owned by MSC and bound for Pakistan, traveling from Saudi Arabia.

The attack took place despite the increased military presence of US and UK forces in the area, after the US announced Operation Prosperity Guardian last week.

Several other countries including France, Italy, Spain, Norway, and Denmark pulled out of the coalition saying they would not serve under US command but only under NATO command.

Even with this heightened US and UK presence in the Red Sea, MSC said it will continue rerouting its ships that were previously scheduled to pass through the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Meanwhile, Brent topped US$80 per barrel, hitting $81 while WTI remained around $75 per barrel earlier in the day.