http://news.rigzone.comThe latest upstream oil and gas news from around the world.Copyright 2009 Rigzone.com Inc. All rights reserved.http://www.rigzone.com/images/logo_rigz_131x20.gifhttp://www.rigzone.com/news/13120http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82709&rss=trueUnder pressure from a strengthening dollar and slide in equities, crude futures exited the December contract at $76.72 a barrel.Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82704&rss=trueThe number of rigs drilling for oil in the U.S. climbed this week, but the gas rig total slipped as producers curbed output in response to low prices.Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82703&rss=truePemex said Friday its crude oil production averaged 2.61 million barrels a day during the January-October period, down 7.5% from the same period in 2008.Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82682&rss=trueAccording to the RigLogix team, Cameron leads the pack of BOP companies with approximately 422 BOPs working on offshore rigs.Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82677&rss=trueOver the past 50 years, the U.S. oil and gas industry has developed innovative, 21st century technologies and exploration techniques that are efficient, pose little threat to the environment, and ensure worker safety.Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82667&rss=trueWoodside remains on schedule to deliver first gas from Pluto at the end of 2010 and first liquefied natural gas in early 2011, but development costs will exceed the approved $11.2 billion.Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82661&rss=trueWall Street succumbed to broader financial worries Thursday, spurring a dragdown in equities which sent crude spiraling toward the lower end of its trading range near $77 a barrel.Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82659&rss=trueBP and ConocoPhillips have reduced their capital spending and developmental budgets for Alaska in 2010 because of higher costs to produce mature fields, disappointing exploratory results and the state's new tax regime, the companies said.Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82637&rss=trueRussian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Ukraine for an official visit on Thursday, as energy officials from the two former Soviet republics signed a natural gas deal. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82630&rss=trueBP and AAR have announced the appointment of Maxim Barsky as TNK-BP's next CEO, effective January 1, 2010.Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82625&rss=trueShtokman, a natural gas field in Russia's Arctic waters that is one of the world's largest gas deposits, will start producing two years later than its planned launch date.Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82622&rss=trueU.S. crude oil production for October averaged 5.36 million barrels per day, continuing at levels not seen since 2005, according to API's Monthly Statistical Report.Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82614&rss=trueBrazil's House of Representatives has approved a bill creating a new state-owned company that will manage all of the oil and gas exploration and production agreements in the pre-salt area under the new shared production model.Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82611&rss=trueUnder pressure during earlier trading, oil ultimately defied bearish underlying fundamentals to close higher after news of a slight decline in crude inventories and a drop in the greenback's value helped boost prices.Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82590&rss=trueTo strengthen the security of India's offshore oil and gas installations and prevent sabotage and terrorist attacks on them, the government is planning to extend the "safety zone" around the installations to 5 nautical miles.Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82582&rss=trueAround 40 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are expected to be recovered from the Tupi, Iara and Guara oil discoveries offshore Brazil, a spokeswoman for BG Group said Wednesday.Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82581&rss=trueEnergy forecasters increasingly predict slowing growth in global oil demand in the years ahead, but some OPEC nations are heading in the opposite direction and ramping up their capacity to pump oil.Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82570&rss=trueThe Offshore Courageous, Scorpion's first jackup, has been named the Shell International E&P Jackup Rig of the Year. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82567&rss=trueCameron has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that will allow the Company to close on its previously announced acquisition of NATCO Group Inc.Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=82566&rss=trueEnergy consumers will benefit from greater competition and greater certainty over gas supply as a result of legislation passed today in Western Australia's State Parliament.Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT