Woodside Petroleum today posted a seven per cent loss in production during the first quarter of 2010, despite a record in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production from the North West Shelf.

Woodside's first quarter production surged down to 7 per cent at the start of the year and another 5 per cent in the previous quarter at 19.2 barrels of oil equivalent.

The company said a production of 19.2 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE) slid down during the first quarter ending on March 2010, which was a big contrast to a production of 20.6 mmboe in the prior corresponding quarter in 2009.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, the company posted a five per cent down on production, with 20.2 mmboe.

Sales revenue of $US1.028 billion also went down to 10 per cent during December quarter despite a 43 per cent increase on the preceding quarter ending on March 2009, which reflected higher oil and gas prices. Both sales volumes sunk by 9 per cent during the same quarters, posted at 18.7 mmboe from 20.6 mmboe respectively.

Woodside attributed the fall of production on its 46-day maintenance outage at Stybarrow field, the sale of its Otway assets, and a natural decline in production at Stybarrow, Enfield, and Neptune mines.

''This was partially offset by record quarterly LNG production from the North West Shelf Venture,'' Woodside told AAP.