The price of oil in the United States on Wednesday fell slightly on Wednesday with contracts for September deliveries on the New York Mercantile Exchange falling 0,2% to $44,61 per barrel.
On Tuesday, oil prices reached a new record of $45,04 per barrel.
Two severe storms were contributing to feelings of insecurity in the US oil market.
Tropical storm Bonnie caused the evacuation of personnel from oil and gas platforms and production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico while another storm called Charley looked likely to move out of the Caribbean into the Gulf.
The market is also preoccupied with supply worries caused by terrorist attacks on pipelines in Iraq, and the insolvency of Russian oil giant Yukos. — Sapa-DPA