Brent hits five-month high as attacks on ships, Saudi sites fuel supply worries

By Alex Lawler

Oct 20 (Reuters) - Oil advanced on Tuesday, with Brent reaching a five-month high, as traders priced in a geopolitical risk premium from Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and reports of vessel attacks in the Gulf. 

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they launched several attacks on Saudi energy, airport and military targets, such as an Aramco site in Yanbu, the Shaybah oilfield, Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and Abha airport.

Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the Houthi claims and Reuters could not independently verify them.

Brent crude futures rose to $111.75 a barrel, the highest since May, and as of 1120 GMT were trading at $111.20, up $1.65 or 1.5%. 

The November contract for US West Texas Intermediate crude, which expires on Tuesday, rose as high as $110, the highest since April for a nearby contract, and was last trading at $109.08, up $5.42 or 5.2%.

"Oil prices remain well-supported ... This suggests the market is pricing in a significant risk premium, given the situation's volatility," ING analysts said in a note on Tuesday. 

"However, if flows continue uninhibited despite the geopolitical environment, the risk premium would likely erode slowly. Clearly, there are no signs of this yet."

At least 18 vessels were reportedly attacked over two weeks, which keeps the risk premium intact, shiptracker Kpler said in a note on Monday.  

Also on Monday, a Houthi attack on a training camp for government security forces in Yemen's Shabwa province killed 58 people and injured more than 200.

The renewed attacks heightened fears about regional stability and underscored continuing risks to energy supply from the region, keeping oil prices above $100 a barrel.

In the US, analysts expected crude oil stockpiles to have fallen last week along with product inventories, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday.

(Additional reporting by Anjana Anil in Bengaluru and Siyi Liu in Singapore; Editing by Sonali Paul and Clarence Fernandez)