SEACOR Marine Holdings Inc SMHI:NYSE

Energy stocks were higher this afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.6% while the SPDR Energy Select Sector ETF (XLE) was up 1.6%. The Philadelphia Oil-Service Sector index was posting a 1.7% advance but the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was slipping 2.5%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was rising $0.53 to $88.29 per barrel while North Sea Brent crude also was advancing $0.74 to $94.11 per barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures were $0.14 higher at $7.07 per 1 million BTU.

In company news, SEACOR Marine (SMHI) raced nearly 14% higher after the offshore energy services company overnight announced the sale of its minority interests in several of its joint ventures in Mexico to majority owner Proyectos Globales de Energia for $66 million in cash. The company will retain a strategic link with its former partner through equipment charters in the future, it said.

Scorpio Tankers (STNG) gained 4.4% after the tanker company said it has signed three new time charter-out agreements with an unnamed energy major and a major refinery company beginning later this year and worth a combined $101.6 million over their three-year terms.

Suncor Energy (SU) rose 1.4% after the Canadian oil and natural gas producer late Wednesday said it was selling its wind- and solar-power assets to an affiliate of Canadian utility company ATCO (ACO-X.TO) for CA$730 million ($536.6 million).