OPEC's reference basket of crudes from 13 countries was $130.87 per barrel on Monday, compared with $126.11 the previous Friday, the oil cartel said on Tuesday according to RIA Novosti.
In use since 1987, the basket is calculated from the crude prices of: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Minas (Indonesia), Iran Heavy (Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and BCF 17 (Venezuela).
The chief executive of Russia's energy giant Gazprom told a European business forum in France that oil prices could reach $250 per barrel in the longer term. News agency AFP quoted Alexei Miller as saying that rivalry for hydrocarbon resources will continue to grow.