OPEC Oct output seen steady at 30.3-mil b/d: PetroLogistics

London (Platts)--24Oct2005

OPEC oil production is likely to be unchanged this month, despite an
offer the cartel made in September to pump every barrel it can if buyers want
the crude, according to figures from consultant PetroLogistics Monday.
     The 11 OPEC members are likely to pump 30.3-mil b/d, unchanged from a
revised September estimate, said Conrad Gerber, president of Geneva-based
PetroLogistics, which assesses supply by tracking tanker shipments.
     Saudi Arabia, OPEC's top producer and the only member able to boost
supply significantly from current rates, is likely to pump "close to" 9.6-mil
b/d this month, steady from September, Gerber said. 
     Iraqi supply may slip 50,000 b/d to 1.9-mil b/d, Gerber said. The Iraqi
output forecast precedes news Monday of a drop in output from the country's 
southern fields because of delays in loading tankers.
--Alex Lawler, alex_lawler@platts.com

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