WTI at $117 per barrel in after-hours trade

Crude oil prices set records for the fifth session in a row Friday as West Texas Intermediate crude hit $117 per barrel in after-hours trade after ending the floor session on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $116.69 per barrel, a gain of $1.83.

Both the after-hours level and the price at the close are record highs.

Prices were sent higher by new claims of sabotage, later confirmed by Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: RDSA, RDSB; NYSE: RDS.A, RDS.B), on a pipeline in Nigeria.

Also pushing prices higher were fears that a magnitude-5.2 earthquake in Illinois early this morning has hurt refining operations in the US Midwest, despite no immediate reports of damage or power outages that could interrupt production.

One refiner shut down a major crude oil pipeline after the temblor, but the line has since been reopened.

Nymex May gasoline added 2 cents to $2.98 per gallon while June heating oil dropped 2 cents to $3.21 per gallon.

June natural gas gained 20 cents to $10.69 per million British thermal units.

US at-the-pump prices also set new records again on Friday, as regular unleaded gasoline added 2.7 cents overnight to $3.445 per gallon and diesel fuel gained 2.2 cents to $4.168 per gallon.