OPEC said world oil demand will fall more steeply in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and said next year’s recovery faces large uncertainties, pointing to growing headwinds for the group and its allies in supporting the market

State oil giant Saudi Aramco’s profit plunged 73% in the second quarter of the year, as a slump in energy demand and prices due to the coronavirus crisis hit sales at the world’s biggest oil exporter

OPEC oil output has risen by over 1 million barrels per day in July as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf members ended their voluntary extra supply curbs on top of an OPEC-led deal, and other members made limited progress on compliance

China’s crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia rose 15% in June from a year ago, as refiners ordered record volumes of the fuel in March and April when oil prices tumbled

Oil rose, helped by positive news about vaccine trials and an EU stimulus deal, taking prices to levels last seen when an oil price war erupted in early March between Russia and Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said that OPEC+ was moving to the next phase of its oil cut pact when the group is expected to ease their reductions as oil demand recovers

Saudi Arabia has been heading efforts to press laggards such as Iraq, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Angola to improve compliance with the reductions and compensate for May overproduction in July-September

The group, known as OPEC+, also demanded countries such as Nigeria and Iraq, which exceeded production quotas in May and June, compensate with extra cuts from July to September

OPEC+ meet on Saturday to discuss extending record oil production cuts and to approve a new approach that aims to force laggards such as Iraq and Nigeria to comply better with the existing curbs

OPEC+ oil producers could still hold a ministerial video conference this week if Iraq and others which have not fully complied with existing oil supply cuts agree to boost their adherence