Brent for September settlement rose 38 cents, or 0.6%, to $66.90 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe Exchange. Prices are up 4.2% this week. The global benchmark crude traded at a $6.32 premium to WTI for the same month.

ADNOC Group CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber met with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Moscow as ADNOC looks to expand its partnership and investment base.

In 2019, the global oil demand growth forecast remains at 1.14 mb/d, with expectations for global oil demand to reach 99.87 mb/d. In 2020, the initial forecast indicates growth of around 1.14 mb/d y-o-y, as global oil demand is anticipated to surpass the 100 mb/d threshold on an annual basis, to average 101.01 mb/d for the year.

McDermott has won two engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contracts from Saudi Aramco worth more than $4.5bn for the Marjan Increment Programme.

As part of its larger increment programmes for Marjan and Berri, Saudi Aramco has awarded Saipem two EPCI contracts worth more than $3.5bn.

WTI had climbed 93 cents, or 1.6%, to $58.76, having earlier risen to $58.84. Brent was up 70 cents, or 1.1%, at $64.86, after earlier touching $64.95.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts Brent spot prices will average $67/b in the second half of 2019 and remain at that level in 2020. EIA expects West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices will average $62/b in the second half of 2019 and $63/b in 2020.

Chevron Phillips Chemical, a joint venture of Chevron and Phillips 66, will be the majority owner with a 51 percent share, with Qatar Petroleum owning 49 percent of the project. The companies expect a final investment decision no later than 2021 for the project, which has a target of starting in 2024.

Brent crude rose 15 cents to $64.26 a barrel , U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 9 cents to $57.75.

Industry sources said Russian oil output fell to 10.79 million barrels per day (bpd) in early July, lower than the level agreed under a deal on curbing supply reached with OPEC and other producers.

Saudi Aramco has awarded 34 contracts with a total value of $18 billion for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Marjan and Berri increment programs. The company plans to boost the Marjan and Berri fields’ production capacity by 550,000 barrels per day of Arabian Crude Oil and 2.5 billion standard cubic feet a day (BSCFD) of gas.

Brent crude futures were up 34 cents by 0908 GMT at $64.57. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up 18 cents at $57.69 a barrel.

The 14-member OPEC pumped 29.60 million barrels per day (bpd) last month, the survey showed, down 170,000 bpd from May’s revised figure and the lowest OPEC total since 2014.

OPEC+, as the enlarged group has come to be known, also sealed a long-term cooperation agreement “the Charter of Cooperation,” which aims to bring the 24 oil producing countries together to promote stability to a market that has been characterized by intense volatility in recent months.

“Iran is the biggest guarantor of energy stability and security in the region while the US is the biggest de-stabilizing force in the world’s energy sector.”