* Brent oil pipeline startup weighs on prices

* ECB offers no helping hand for Italy, says markets calm

* U.S. jobless claims unexpectedly fall

* China trade data in focus

(Updates prices, adds details)

By Alex Lawler

LONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - Oil eased below $111 a barrel on Thursday as the North Sea Brent pipeline restarted and as investors digested comments from the European Central Bank giving no strong hint about monetary policy easing in the months ahead.

The ECB and the Bank of England kept interest rates on hold, as expected. Better-than-forecast U.S. jobs data suggested a pick-up in the labour market recovery and economic growth.

Brent crude LCOc1 was down 16 cents at $110.90 a barrel by 1456 GMT. It has fallen from a 2013 high of $119.17 on Feb. 8. U.S. WTI crude CLc1 rose 88 cents to $91.31.

Brent has found support this week from the shutdown of the Brent pipeline and disruption to exports of Nigerian crude. But prices eased after the Brent operator, Abu Dhabi-based TAQA, said it had begun reopening the line.

"There is a little pressure coming from the restart of Brent, but it seems the market is holding above $110 pretty well," said Christopher Bellew, a broker at Jefferies Bache in London.

Traders said U.S. crude was gaining some support from dip-buying after a slide in price on Wednesday, in response to a rise in U.S. inventories, and from the stronger euro.

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World interest rates: http://link.reuters.com/xyb96s

China data outlook: http://link.reuters.com/fut96s

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Oil came under pressure on Wednesday after a U.S. government report showed crude inventories rose by 3.83 million barrels, much more than the 500,000-barrel increase analysts had forecast. EIA/S

Looking ahead, China's all-important trade data, including crude demand numbers, for February are scheduled to be released on Friday, as is the U.S. non-farm payrolls jobs report.

"We have a busy end of the week as far as macroeconomic data is concerned; the oil markets are watching out for those," said Ben le Brun, an analyst at OptionsXpress in Sydney.

(Editing by Alison Birrane)

((alex.lawler@thomsonreuters.com)(+44 207 542 4087)(Reuters Messaging: alex.lawler.reuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: MARKETS OIL/