Crude oil prices rallied for the fifth day amid supply concerns due to Kazakhstan turmoil and dropped output in Libya. As of 1235 hours GMT on Friday, Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world’s oil, gained $0.70 (+0.85 percent) to reach $82.69 a barrel. On the other hand, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) price reached $80.05 a barrel, up by $0.59 (+0.74 percent). The price for Opec Basket was recorded at $78.93 a barrel with a gain of 1.19 percent, Arab Light was available at $82.27 a barrel with an increase of 1.68 percent and the price of Russian Sokol reached $83.36 a barrel with an increase of 2.88 percent. The latest increase comes as Kazakhstan – the second-largest oil producer in the former Soviet Union with a daily output of around 1.6 million barrels and an OPEC+ oil producer – is shaken by violent anti-government protests. The nationwide unrest, which has resulted in numerous deaths, was initially prompted by a liberalisation of road fuel prices. On Thursday, the US energy multinational Chevron, which operates the country’s primary oil field, Tengiz, reported a reduction in output, citing the disruption of train lines by some of its contractors in support of the protests. To add to the Kazakh turmoil, Libyan oil output is reportedly down by more than 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) due to pipeline maintenance and oilfield shutdowns. Production in Libya has dropped to 729,000 barrels per day, down from a high of 1.3 million bpd last year. Earlier this week, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and allies, together called Opec+, agreed to add another 400,000 bpd of supply in February, as it has done each month since August. Supply additions from the Opec+, are not keeping up with demand growth. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the world’s number-one oil exporter, reportedly cut the official selling price for all grades of crude for its Asian clients in February by at least $1 per barrel.