The new price peak came after the US government's Department of Energy (DoE) announced that American oil inventories tumbled 2.1 million barrels in the week ending May 15.
That was far more than market expectations of a 700,000-barrel drop and indicated that energy demand was holding firm despite a deep recession in the US
In earlier afternoon trade, New York's main contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, had already surged past 61 dollars per barrel in anticipation of falling US crude stocks.
Oil also won support from the weak greenback which makes dollar-priced crude cheaper for buyers holding stronger currencies - and therefore tends to stimulate demand.
In the foreign exchange market, the US dollar sank overnight to a four-month low against the euro as rebounding Wall Street shares encouraged investors to switch away from the safe-haven US currency.
In London afternoon trade, the European single currency advanced to $US1.3792. That was the highest point since January 8 and compared with $US1.3634 late in New York.
