Despite increased spending, oil majors are seeing flat or declining production as they struggle to replace reserves, according to a recent analyst report. Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., Royalty Dutch Shell plc and BP plc recorded declines in their 2013 production. ExxonMobil reported an average production of 4,175 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (MMboepd), down 1.5 percent from 2012, and Chevron saw its production decline by .5 percent from 2012 to 2013 to 2,597 MMboepd. Shell’s average 3,199 MMboepd of production for 2013 was down 1.9 percent from 2012 levels, while BP saw its production volumes fall to 2,256 MMboepd, or 2.7 percent, from 2012 to 2013. France’s Total S.A. was the only company to buck the trend in declining production, with average hydrocarbon production in 2013 of 2,299 MMboepd, Zacks Equity research analyst Nilanjan Choudhury said in a May 16 report. “But overall, most ‘Big Oil’ […]