November US crude futures in after-hours ACCESS traded 13 cents per barrel higher at $24.25 by 0745 GMT, after prices in the overnight New York market settled at $24.12.

Traders said Opec's decision to maintain output cuts until end-March was expected and would not lead to a big price surge.

"Opec news had already been factored into the market, it's what everybody expected," said Mark Ammirati of E.D.& F. Man International in New York.

But traders said the news kept the market supported, raising confidence global oversupplies were on their way to being erased.

Opec ministers who met in Vienna on Wednesday agreed to endorse the existing pact on supply limits until end-March 2000.

"I must stress that the market situation still seems to be fragile," Youssef Yousfi of Algeria told fellow Opec ministers in Vienna. "Stock levels are still high and could, at any time, have a negative impact on price.".

The supply curbs put in place by Opec in March were due to last a year and aimed to rescue prices from historical lows reached at the start of the year.

But there were some worries that a seven-month price rally would tempt Opec to ease supply curbs, although several key members had made assurances ahead of the Vienna meeting of their commitment to the production cuts until the agreement expires.

Crude prices have more than doubled since March as a result of tight Opec compliance to the cuts, with the US crude futures touching a 31-month high of $24.85 last week.

Analysts have said prices could move higher as the northern hemisphere moves into the peak winter demand season amid tighter supplies due to the Opec cuts.