"The total petroleum production for the first ten months in 2015 is about 188.6 million Sm3 [standard cubic metres] oil equivalents (MSm3 o.e.), broken down as follows: about 74.9 MSm3 o.e. of oil, about 18.2 MSm3 o.e. of NGL and condensate and about 95.5 MSm3 o.e. of gas for sale. The total volume is 10.3 MSm3 o.e. higher than for the same period in 2014," the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) wrote on Friday.

U.S. Rig Count is down 4 rigs from last week to 767, with oil rigs up 2 to 574, and gas rigs down 6 to 193. U.S. Rig Count is down 1,161 rigs from last year at 1,928, with oil rigs down 1,004, and gas rigs down 157. The U.S. Offshore rig count is 33, up 1 rig from last week, and down 19 rigs year over year.

The cost to hire a supertanker - each capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil - recently hit its highest level since 2008 at over $100,000 a day last month and currently remains at over $70,000 a day.

In Q3 2015 production of hydrocarbons reached 63.1 mmtoe (5.08 mboed). In 9M 2015 production of hydrocarbons reached 189.6 mmtoe (5.14 mboed). The level of production was ensured by accelerated drilling program, including increase in share of horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing, sidetracking, implementation of simultaneous-separate production and injection, measures of oil inflows stimulation.

Rosneft, a company led by Igor Sechin, said that in the first nine months of 2015 it produced 45.92 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas, increased from 40.87 bcm in the same period last year. On Friday, Gazprom reduced its 2015 forecasts to 427 bcm, a significant decrease on its forecasts released six months ago,which expected production for the year to reach 485 bcm.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin met with Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah this week to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the fields of energy and diplomacy. The two countries also signed a memorandum for military technical cooperation.

Tehran and Baghdad today signed an 6-year agreement on November 11, aimed at exporting 25 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of Iranian gas to Iraq's Basra.

Tankers carrying nearly 20 million barrels of Iraqi oil are due to sail to the United States in November, almost 40 percent above the amount booked to arrive in October. At an average rate of more than 660,000 barrels per day (bpd), it would be the largest monthly import since mid-2012, according to U.S. data.

Saudi Arabia has started shipping crude to traditional Russian markets like Poland and Sweden, but supplies to Europe from the world’s largest exporter won’t increase by enough to reduce prices. In contrast, a surge in Iranian exports after the lifting of sanctions could erode the value of Russian shipments to the region as soon as next year.

Chevron Corp. is planning to lay off up to 1,000 employees working in the neutral zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as a dispute between those countries has halted all work on oil fields for several months, according to people familiar with the matter.