Indian oil demand, meanwhile, grew by 300,000 b/d last year after rising by 100,000-150,000 b/d/year in the previous decade.

Crude oil production in April from the seven major US shale regions is expected to fall 106,000 b/d to 4.87 million b/d, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s latest Drilling Productivity Report (DPR). That includes a 4,000-b/d drop in the Permian to 2.04 million b/d.

U.S. Rig Count is down 13 rigs from last week to 489, with oil rigs down 8 to 392, and gas rigs down 5 to 97. Canadian Rig Count is down 46 rigs from last week to 129, with oil rigs down 33 to 50, and gas rigs down 13 to 79.

In addition to Vietnam, Rosneft also has oil-producing assets in Venezuela and Canada. It has exploration prospects in several other countries, including in Mozambique and the US in partnership with ExxonMobil.

Brent futures gained 40 cents to $37.47 a barrel as of 1519 GMT (10:19 a.m. EST), after settling 14 cents higher in the previous session. The crude benchmark is set to end the week with a gain of more than 5 percent.

The United States is currently a net importer of natural gas, and gross imports represented nearly 10% of total supply in 2015, based on data through November. The United States imported 7.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas, mostly from Canada by pipeline, and exported 4.8 Bcf/d, mostly to Mexico by pipeline. For years, Alaska has exported LNG, mostly to Pacific Rim countries, but these volumes have been small. In addition to the Sabine Pass terminal that was the source of last week's LNG shipment, four other LNG export terminals are currently under construction.

Gazprom and Bank of China Limited, London Branch entered today in Shanghai into a five-year EUR 2 billion loan facility agreement.

Production drilling has commenced on the first of a total of 35 wells to be drilled during Phase 1 of the Johan Sverdrup field development offshore Norway in the North Sea, operator Statoil ASA reported.

In 2015 we continued to adapt to the tough environment created by the dramatic drop in oil prices. We have seen prices crash before, but this fall has been particularly steep, from over $100 a barrel in mid-2014 to below $30 by January 2016. The work we have done to reshape and strengthen BP after 2010 stood us in good stead to withstand these conditions and last year we took further action to make the business more resilient in the short term. We also continue to invest for long-term growth. Our safety record improved, along with operating reliability, while costs came down and capital discipline was maintained. The current environment has however impacted our financial results, as well as those of our competitors. So, while the oil price is beyond our control, we have performed strongly on the factors that we can control.

По итогам совещания Александр Новак сообщил, что нефтяные компании подтвердили готовность не наращивать добычу нефти. «Компании подтвердили, что они поддерживают эту инициативу. В целом, это должно дать довольно позитивный результат для рынка, поскольку будет способствовать снижению волатильности цен и обеспечит компаниям возможность планирования деятельности на более долгосрочную перспективу», – рассказал Министр.