If Nigeria and Libya restore production, the kingdom may need to cut twice as much. U.S. shale drillers also stand ready to fill any supply gap.

The court judgment released on Wednesday found that the companies owed nearly 484 billion CFA francs in royalties to the Chadian government. It did not explain why the penalties amounted to more than 90 times that amount.

Britain is estimated to have substantial amounts of shale gas trapped in underground rocks and the government wants to exploit it to help offset declining North Sea oil and gas output. It said the shale gas industry could create 64,000 jobs and help economic growth.

Last week, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to cut between 200,000 barrels a day and 700,000 barrels a day of their output to reduce a global oil glut. The 14-nation oil-producing group controls over a third of the world’s oil production, but said it also wanted non-OPEC producers to join the effort to curb output.

Brent LCOc1 traded at $52.11 at 1000 GMT, 40 cents down, after touching $52.84 earlier, two cents below the 2016 high. U.S. oil futures traded as high as $50.74 a barrel, a three and a half month high, before falling by 30 cents to $50.14 a barrel. On Thursday they settled at $50.44 per barrel - the first settlement above $50 since June 23.

Baker Hughes Inc., the services company that tracks drilling activity worldwide, said just 27 rigs operated last month in the North Sea, the lowest number since records started in January 1982. The previous low was set in October 1999, when oil prices plunged to $10 a barrel.

The worldwide rig count for September 2016 was 1,584, up 37 from the 1,547 counted in August 2016, and down 587 from the 2,171 counted in September 2015.

U.S. Rig Count is down 271 rigs from last year's count of 795, with oil rigs down 177, gas rigs down 95, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is down 15 rigs from last year's count of 180, with oil rigs up 13, and gas rigs down 28.

Global benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 reached a high of $52.57 a barrel, not far off a one-year high of $52.86 a barrel, by 1207, up 64 cents on Friday's close. U.S. futures CLc1 also gained ground, trading at $50.32, up 51 cents.

The minister "has affirmed the need to proceed forth with increasing oil and gas production through enhancing the national effort and those of the licensed companies for the remainder of 2016 and also for 2017," the statement said.

"Higher production from Libya, Nigeria and Iraq are reducing the odds of such a deal rebalancing the oil market in 2017," Goldman analysts said.

"Why should we do it?" Sechin, known for his anti-OPEC position, told Reuters in Istanbul on Monday evening, when asked if Rosneft, which accounts for 40 percent of Russia's total crude oil output, might cap its own output.

The warming relations between NATO member Turkey and Russia comes as both countries are dealing with troubled economies and strained ties with the West.

December Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were down 42 cents at $52.72 a barrel by 1100 GMT, below Monday's one-year high at $53.73, but off an intraday low at $52.51, while U.S. futures CLc1 were down 43 cents at $50.92 a barrel.

«Мы поддерживаем инициативу ОПЕК по фиксации лимитов на добычу и рассчитываем, что на заседании ОПЕК в ноябре эта инициатива воплотится в конкретные договоренности. Россия готова присоединиться к совместным мерам по ограничению добычи, и призывает к этому других экспортеров нефти», – подчеркнул Владимир Путин.

Coordinated output curbs by Russia and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, who together pump about half the world’s oil, could boost fuel prices for consumers and revive the fortunes of a battered energy industry. While Putin’s comments are the firmest indication yet that such an agreement is possible, Russia is still pumping at record levels and has stopped short of a commitment to pull back. OPEC members also have many hurdles to overcome before implementing their first cuts in eight years.

The deal was strongly appreciated by the investment community for the expansion of the Combined Company to the new crude oil and petroleum product production and supply areas, Rosneft adding 10% of liquid hydrocarbon production and 20% of refining throughput as well as for significant synergies arising from optimization of mutual oil supplies, transport and logistics costs, drilling cost reduction and joint use of production assets’ infrastructure, modern technologies and know-how.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.2% to $51.91 a barrel on London’s ICE Futures exchange. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate futures were trading up 0.1% at $50.21 a barrel.

In 2015, Russian gas exports to Austria rose 11.5 per cent versus 2014. From January 1 through October 10, 2016, Russian gas supplies to Austria totaled 4.18 billion cubic meters, which was 23.8 per cent higher than in the same period of 2015.

The world’s biggest energy user imported 33.06 million metric tons of crude in September, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Thursday. That’s about 8.08 million barrels a day. China’s net fuel exports were at 2.37 million tons last month, near the record 2.49 million in July.