By David Sheppard LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude oil rose above $107 per barrel on Wednesday as a disruption in supply from Nigeria and Libya supported prices, while promising data from top consumer the United States also boosted investor sentiment. But an easing of worries over Ukraine - after the U.S. president and his allies agreed to hold off on more damaging economic sanctions against Russia, the world's top oil producer - kept a lid on crude price gains. [ID:nL5N0MM2AB] Brent for May delivery rose 12 cents to $107.11 by 1142 GMT, after closing up 18 cents in the previous session. U.S. crude, known as West Texas Intermediate or WTI, climbed 33 cents to $99.52 a barrel, following Tuesday's loss of 41 cents. "Brent is supported by lower supplies from Nigeria and the sharp drop in Libyan output, but remains in a relatively narrow range," said Abhishek Deshpande, commodities analyst at Natixis in London. Royal Dutch Shell declared force majeure on Nigeria's Forcados crude exports on Tuesday due to a pipeline leak caused by oil theft, while Libyan output fell by about 80,000 barrels per day to around 150,000 bpd after the closure of a large oilfield. [ID:nL5N0MM4JV] [ID:nL4N0MM3HP] Shell has not said when repairs would be completed but that it would reopen the export line as soon as possible. Oil prices also drew support from U.S. data showing consumer confidence rose more than expected in March, climbing to its highest since January 2008, and house prices increased solidly in January. [ID:nL1N0MM0T8] But the impact on Brent prices from the drop in Nigerian and Libyan output is likely to be short-lived, said Yusuke Seta, commodity sales manager at Newedge Japan in Tokyo. "Any loss from African countries should be covered by production increases from OPEC countries like Saudi Arabia and Iraq," Seta said. "Brent is caught in a tight range ... between $106 and $108.50. That remains unchanged." WTI may also come under pressure from a rise in U.S. crude stockpiles for a 10th straight week, traders and analysts said, and as a key import hub reopens. "An oil spill in the Galveston Harbour has kept the Houston Shipping Channel closed since the weekend, and provided a temporary floor for WTI," ANZ Research said in a note. The channel is expected to reopen fully on Wednesday after its closure led to cuts in production at the second-largest refinery in the United States. [ID:nL1N0MM0JJ] U.S. oil prices had briefly risen above $100 on Tuesday, but fell after data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showed a higher-than-expected build in crude inventories. U.S. oil stocks surged by 6.3 million barrels in the week to March 21 to 379 million, API data showed, versus analysts' forecasts of a 2.7-million-barrel increase. [ID:nZXN044S00] Crude stocks at WTI's delivery point of Cushing, Oklahoma, fell by 1 million barrels, the API said. If confirmed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) later on Wednesday, that would mark the eighth straight weekly drop at Cushing, where increased pipeline capacity has seen inventories fall by almost a third since late January. [EIA/S].