NEW YORK, April 12 (Xinhua) -- World crude oil prices fell Wednesday but still hovered above 68 dollars, as traders took profits on the weekly data that U.S. crude oil reserves increased to the highest level in eight years.

    New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, dropped 36 cents to 68.62 dollars a barrel, after hitting 69.60 dollars, the highest trading price this year.

    On London's ICE Futures exchange, the price of Brent North Sea crude for May delivery was up 5 cents to 69.42 dollars a barrel , its record high since 1988.

    On the New York Mercantile Exchange, the heating oil was up 1.91 cent to 1.9746 dollars a gallon as gasoline futures was up 3.67 cents to 2.0911 dollars per gallon.

    Natural gas futures fell 7.3 cents to 6.835 dollars per 1,000 cubic feet.

    World crude oil prices hit 69 dollars Tuesday, their 7 months high, on the news that Iran had successfully enriched uranium.

    U.S. Energy Department said Wednesday in its weekly report that crude oil reserves increased 3.2 million barrels to 346 million barrels, the highest in eight years.

    Inventories of gasoline shrank by 3.9 million barrels to 207.9 million barrels. The nation's supply of distillate, which includes diesel and heating oil, fell by 4.2 million barrels in the week to 117.4 million.

    Traders are still concerned about the possibilities that Iran's oil exports would halt if the United Nations imposes Teheran an international sanction for its nuclear activities.

    Meanwhile, about one-fourth of Nigeria's daily output is still shut after a series of militant attacks. Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer and the fifth-biggest source of U.S. oil imports. Enditem