Nov. 5--DENVER -- Mexico's state oil monopoly Pemex named Carlos Rafael Murrieta as its new chief operating officer on Thursday, the latest switch after the government fired its chief executive amid a slump in oil production.

President Felipe Calderon replaced Pemex boss Jesus Reyes Heroles last month with former banker and beer executive Juan JosAc Suarez.

In a Mexican stock market filing, Pemex said Murrieta is a chemical engineer who has worked at Mexico's Petroleum Institute and as a private sector consultant, with oil sector experience in the United States, Mexico and Brazil.

Pemex is widely seen as a bloated bureaucracy and experts say it lacks the funding, expertise and access to strategic partnerships with other oil companies to tap new reserves and turn around its falling production.

Mexican oil production has fallen by more than a quarter since 2004, threatening a key plank of government revenues, as yields have dropped at its aging offshore Cantarell oil field.

In related news, despite controversy surrounding Pemex's constitutional reforms favored by the Senate on the types of contracting the company can do following reforms last year, Pemex will continue making contracts with other businesses.

Director Juan JosAc Suarez Coppel said that the deals are regarding very specific cases, and that Pemex is searching for more flexible and adequate contracts for the company.

"We hope (the controversy) is resolved soon, since the biggest winner in all of this is the company, the country, Mexicans and stockholders," Suarez said.

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Copyright (c) 2009, The News, Mexico City

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