Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose after Turkish planes attacked suspected Kurdish insurgent bases and the Houston Ship Channel reopened following an 18-hour shutdown for fog.

Turkish jets bombed positions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in northern Iraq today. The suspension of traffic in the waterway delayed 20 incoming vessels, including five tankers, the Houston Ship Pilots Organization said. President George W. Bush asked to expand the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve today.

``The closure of the Houston Ship Channel, the Turkish attacks and the SPR request are all supportive headlines,'' said Tom Bentz, a broker at BNP Paribas in New York. ``None of the headlines explains the size of the gain.''

Crude oil for March delivery rose $1.06, or 1.2 percent, to settle at $90.02 a barrel at 2:42 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures reached a record $100.09 a barrel on Jan. 3. Prices are up 53 percent from a year ago.

Crude oil in New York plunged $2.79, or 3 percent, on Feb. 1 after the Labor Department released its payroll report. Futures have dropped 10 percent from the record as U.S. oil and gasoline stockpiles rose and global equity markets weakened.

The Houston area's eight refineries represent 13 percent of U.S. refining capacity, according to data from the plant owners and the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association. It takes two to three days before a shutdown begins to affect operations at the seven major refineries in the Houston area.

``I think the main reason prices are up so much is that we fell too far on Friday,'' Bentz said.

Turkish Operation

The Turkish planes struck targets in the Iraqi regions of Avasin-Basyan and Hakurk in a 12-hour operation that began today at 3 a.m. Turkish time, the military said on its Web site.

Turkey has bombed and shelled PKK bases in Kurdish- controlled northern Iraq since December in raids the Turkish military said killed hundreds of PKK fighters. The U.S., which designates the PKK a terrorist organization, is providing Turkey with intelligence on the whereabouts of the militants.

Brent crude for March settlement rose $1.03, or 1.2 percent, to close at $90.47 a barrel on London's ICE Futures Europe exchange. Brent touched a record $98.50 on Jan. 3.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Shenk in New York at mshenk1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 4, 2008 15:34 EST