Oil Rises Above $72 on U.S. Gasoline Demand, Tanker Disruption

June 27 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose above $72 a barrel in New York for the first time in two weeks as U.S. gasoline demand grew and an oil spill interrupted shipments of the fuel.

Gasoline supplies probably rose by 400,000 barrels in the U.S. last week, which would be the second-smallest gain in two months, according to a Bloomberg News survey of nine analysts. The U.S. Coast Guard yesterday said about 40 ships were delayed in Louisiana while an oil spill was cleaned up.

``It's a gasoline-driven day,'' said Stanislav Nazarati, a trader at Letofin AS in Estonia. ``We will need to see stockpiles. The traffic delays create logistical problems for supplies, which is pushing oil up.''

Crude oil for August delivery rose as much as 48 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $72.28 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $72.21 at 7:41 in London.

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