Europe sees Israel and the region as an important supplier of gas to Europe

"The UK continental shelf is in urgent need of fresh investment to boost exploration and drive activity, particularly for the supply chain," Oil and Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie said, going on to call for additional government efforts to encourage investment.

"OPEC made an exceptional decision today ... After two and a half years, OPEC reached consensus to manage the market," said Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, who had repeatedly clashed with Saudi Arabia during previous meetings.

While Tehran wants to set its production target at about 4.2 million barrels per day, Riyadh last week asked its regional rival to freeze its output at 3.6 million barrels per day in return for a production cut.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that oil services company Weatherford International has agreed to pay a $140 million penalty to settle charges that it inflated earnings by using deceptive income tax accounting. Two of the company’s senior accounting executives at the time have agreed to settle charges that they were behind the scheme.

“We need a gentle adjustment to reassure the market,” Mr. Falih said at a briefing where he was flanked by his Russian counterpart, Alexander Novak.

Speaking to Shana while departing Tehran for Algiers to attend the International Energy Forum (IEF) to be held Tuesday and Wednesday in Algiers, Zangeneh said the current market conditions are not favorable for crude oil producers and consumers in the mid- and long terms.

Top Russian producer Rosneft expects the share of hard-to-recover oil production to rise to 11 percent of its total crude output by 2020, from 7 percent this year. Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of state gas producer Gazprom, is raising its share of output of hard-to-recover oil by tapping more reserves at the Messoyakha project and other assets.

“While the oil market has recovered from its most severe period, it’s still weak,” Nasser said.

“The kingdom is looking for consensus among oil producers to reach a credible arrangement for stabilising oil markets,” a Saudi official said on Friday. “We are looking at different scenarios and options to reaching this goal.”

Iraq, along with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia has increased output to historic highs over the past year to fight for market share with higher-cost producers such as the United States where production has been falling back due to low oil prices.

In Saudi Arabia, Saipem has been awarded an extension of three years to drilling activities being carried out by ten 2000 HP drilling rigs. In South America, in addition to various extensions ranging in duration from two to twenty-four months for medium and high power rigs in Peru, Colombia, Bolivia and Chile, Saipem has also been awarded a new contract for operations in Argentina, which will be carried out by an hydraulic type rig over a period of eighteen months.

Schlumberger will drill 80 wells in an extra-heavy oil field in the Orinoco Belt, said company spokesman Joao Felix. Terms of the deal, which are still being negotiated, will ensure payment from the government.

Lybian crude output rose to 450,000 barrels a day after work resumed at some oil fields, Ibrahim Al-Awami, head of oil measurement department at state-run National Oil Corp., said by phone on Tuesday. Armed conflicts and political disputes have hurt the country’s production, which was 260,000 barrels a day in August.

Preliminary production figures for August 2016 show an average daily production of 1 929 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is a decrease of 202 000 barrels per day (approx. 9.5 percent) compared to July.