Brazil Oil Output Rose 16% in August

Brazil's oil and natural gas output rose 16.1 percent in August compared with a year earlier as state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA and its partners started overdue offshore oil platforms, the country's oil regulator ANP, said on Friday.

Output rose to 2.90 million barrels of oil and equivalent natural gas a day (boepd) in the month, extending record output levels, compared with 2.50 million boepd in August 2013, according to an ANP statement.

Output was 2.77 percent greater than in July.

Petrobras remained the main producer, owning 2.48 million boepd of output, or 85 percent of Brazil's total. That was the same percentage as July but down from 89 percent in August 2013.

The No. 2 producer was BG Group Plc (BRGXF) with 96,625 boepd, double its year-ago level and 21 percent more than in July. All its output came from fields operated by other companies and where it had only a financial stake.

The No. 3 producer was Norway's Statoil ASA (STOHF), with 45,490 boepd, 9.44 percent less than a year earlier and 5.11 percent more than in July. Statoil got the bulk of its oil from fields it operates.

Statoil also overtook Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RYDAF) in the production tables. Shell slipped to fourth place with 37,747 boepd. While that was 59 percent more than a year earlier, it was 35 percent less than in July.

Shell's decline came as a result of lower output from its Parque das Conchas, or Shell Park, group of fields, according to ANP data. Shell officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Jeb Blount; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)