By Alex Lawler
LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - BP Plc said regulators from theUnited States and Asia have asked it for information after theEuropean Commission's started an investigation last year intosuspected manipulation of oil prices.
London-based BP, Europe's second-largest oil company, madethe disclosure in its annual report released on Thursday.
Last May, European authorities raided offices of BP, andRoyal Dutch Shell and Statoil in aninvestigation of suspected price manipulation.
"Related inquiries and requests for information have alsobeen received from U.S. and other regulators following theEuropean Commission's actions," BP said in its 2013 annualreport, published on its website.
BP said it was producing documents to the U.S. Federal TradeCommission following an FTC request made in June 2013, and thatthe U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in January 2014had asked the company for price-reporting documents.
In addition, BP said the Japanese Fair Trade Commission madean initial request for information last June, and in December2013, the Korea Fair Trade Commission started an investigationand a first information request was expected to be issued.
Last May, the European Commission said it was investigatingmajor oil companies over suspected anti-competitive agreementsrelated to submission of prices to leading oil pricing agencyPlatts, a unit of McGraw Hill Group.
BP said in the annual report there was no deadline for thecompletion of the EU inquiry. When the European action waslaunched, BP as well as Platts, Shell and Statoil said they werecooperating with the probe.
Thomson Reuters, parent of Reuters news, competeswith Platts in providing news and information to the oil market.