Delegates from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which includes representatives from member countries Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, began a meeting in Vienna today that is expected to end with a decision to raise crude oil output levels.

Ahead of the regularly scheduled meeting to review production levels, a number of representatives gave varying outlooks.

According to Angolan Oil Minister, Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos, “People are talking about an increase. We have to wait and see. My feeling is there is no need. The market is supplied at this time. There are some geopolitical problems”.

Ecuador and Venezuela also indicated that oil markets are well supplied and are in no need of additional output.

A knowledgeable Gulf delegate on the other hand, who cannot be identified because he isn’t authorized to speak publicly, said that OPEC will likely raise its official ceiling output.

While representatives from the various member countries have given mixed views on the matter, many experts believe that the decision will be made to lift OPEC’s output ceiling for the first time since 2008.

This decision is expected to come as a result of pressure from Saudi Arabia, the group’s largest producer, which wants to add 1.5 million barrels a day in order to replace lost Libyan supplies.