Oil prices broke the $83-a-barrel mark in Asian trade on Friday and approached their record level, as a weak dollar and supply fears boosted buying.
US light sweet crude for November delivery was $83.19 a barrel, the record level is $83.90.
Oil is priced in dollars so its record lows this week against the euro and other currencies has raised prices.
The hurricane season may hit supplies too, but tropical storm Lorenzo now appears unlikely to have any effect.
Earlier in the week, oil industry workers left five production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, and three drilling rigs were also evacuated, ahead of the storm's approach.
In Nigeria on Thursday, gunmen killed one foreign oil worker and abducted another, highlighting the risks for in the world's eighth largest oil exporter.
Meanwhile, London Brent crude rose 30 cents to $80.33 a barrel.
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