UPDATE 8-Oil rises as traders expect OPEC+ to hold output cuts

* Russia supports OPEC+ oil output rollover to May
* OPEC+ meets on April 1 to decide on May output
* Traffic in Suez Canal resumes after stranded ship
refloated
* Coronavirus lockdowns in Europe weigh

(Updates with settlement prices, adds commentary)
By Stephanie Kelly
NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 1% on
Monday after Reuters reported that Russia would support stable
oil output from OPEC+ ahead of a meeting with the producer group
later this week.
Futures had fallen earlier in the session on news that a
container ship in the Suez Canal blocking traffic for nearly a
week had been refloated.
Brent oil LCOc1 rose 41 cents to settle at $64.98 a
barrel. U.S. crude CLc1 rose 59 cents to settle at $61.56 a
barrel.
"The market is looking beyond the Suez Canal and focusing on
the upcoming OPEC+ meeting, where we're getting strong
indications they're going to rollover the output cuts," said
Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.
Russia will support broadly stable oil output by the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies
including Russia (OPEC+) in May, while seeking a relatively
small output hike for itself to meet the rising seasonal demand,
according to a source familiar with Russia's thinking.
Sources told Reuters last week that they expect a decision
similar to the last meeting when OPEC+ meets on April 1 to
decide output policy.
Russian oil and gas condensate output increased to 10.22
million barrels per day (bpd) in the period March 1-28 from 10.1
million bpd in February, two industry sources familiar with the
data told Reuters, broadly in line with Moscow's plans.

At the Suez Canal, live footage on a local television
station showed the ship Ever Given surrounded by tug boats
moving slowly in the centre of the canal on Monday. The station,
ExtraNews, said the ship was moving at a speed of 1.5 knots.
However, disruptions in the global shipping industry could
take weeks and possibly months to clear, top container shipping
lines said. "The market will soon realize that despite the positive
news, even if Ever Given leaves the Canal within days, some
leftover downstream ripple effects should be expected in the
meantime," said Louise Dickson, oil markets analyst.
Limiting price gains, some European countries struggling
with increased COVID-19 infections have tightened lockdown
restrictions, and fuel demand across the continent remains weak.
England's stay-at-home lockdown order, though, ended on Monday.