Saudi oil production at 9.7 million bpd in Oct

ABU DHABI: Saudi Arabia pumped roughly 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil in October, the OPEC heavyweight's oil minister Ali Al-Naimi told reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of an oil and gas event in Abu Dhabi.

Asked how much Saudi oil production was in October, Naimi said: "Roughly 9.7 million".

According to OPEC survey, Saudi pumped near 10 million bpd in October, the highest rate in decades. The Kingdom and its Gulf Arab allies have kept output high all year to keep oil prices in check during the reduction in Iranian exports.