CANADA-CRUDE-Discount on Western Canada Select widens

March 11 (Reuters) - The discount on Western Canada Select crude oil to North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 widened on Wednesday as the International Energy Agency proposed a record release of oil reserves to try to rein in energy prices.

WCS for April delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, settled at $13.15 a barrel below the U.S. benchmark WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, compared with $12.75 on Tuesday.

• Oil prices settled up nearly 5% on Wednesday as fresh attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz worsened supply disruption fears, and analysts said the International Energy Agency's proposal for a record release of oil reserves is inadequate to ease those worries.

• The Canadian government said Wednesday it is looking at options to increase its crude production to help global efforts to stabilize oil prices in the face of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, but an industry group said Canada is already producing at record volumes and has minimal ability to increase output in the short term.