Falling production and refinery problems have contributed to a slight drop in profits at British oil giant BP in the second quarter of this year, according to figures released Tuesday, REPORTED DPA. BP said replacement cost profits for the period from April to June were down by 1 per cent on last year to 3 billion pounds (6.09 billion dollars), the company said in London Tuesday. The results are the first set since the departure of chief executive John Browne in May after a scandal involving his personal life. Overall, for the first half of this year, profits at BP fell by 8 per cent to 10.4 billion dollars. BP said production had dropped by 5 per cent to 3.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the second quarter, compared to 4 million in the same period last year. BP has suffered a number of setbacks recently, including selling its majority stake in joint venture TNK-BP, which owns the giant Kovykta gas field in Siberia. There have also been problems resulting from refinery shutdowns.
