Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies	Note R – Contingencies The Company’s operations and earnings have been and may be affected by various forms of governmental action both in the United States and throughout the world. Examples of such governmental action include, but are by no means limited to: tax increases and retroactive tax claims; royalty and revenue sharing increases; import and export controls; price controls; currency controls; allocation of supplies of crude oil and petroleum products and other goods; expropriation of property; restrictions and preferences affecting the issuance of oil and gas or mineral leases; restrictions on drilling and/or production; laws and regulations intended for the promotion of safety and the protection and/or remediation of the environment; governmental support for other forms of energy; and laws and regulations affecting the Company’s relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, stockholders and others. Because governmental actions are often motivated by political considerations, may be taken without full consideration of their consequences, and may be taken in response to actions of other governments, it is not practical to attempt to predict the likelihood of such actions, the form the actions may take or the effect such actions may have on the Company. ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS – Murphy and other companies in the oil and gas industry are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations dealing with the environment. Violation of federal or state environmental laws, regulations and permits can result in the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties, injunctions and construction bans or delays. A discharge of hazardous substances into the environment could, to the extent such event is not insured, subject the Company to substantial expense, including both the cost to comply with applicable regulations and claims by neighboring landowners and other third parties for any personal injury and property damage that might result. The Company currently owns or leases, and has in the past owned or leased, properties at which hazardous substances have been or are being handled. Although the Company has used operating and disposal practices that were standard in the industry at the time, hazardous substances may have been disposed of or released on or under the properties owned or leased by the Company or on or under other locations where these wastes have been taken for disposal. In addition, many of these properties have been operated by third parties whose treatment and disposal or release of hydrocarbons or other wastes were not under Murphy’s control. Under existing laws the Company could be required to remove or remediate previously disposed wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators), to clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater) or to perform remedial plugging operations to prevent future contamination. Certain of these historical properties are in various stages of negotiation, investigation, and/or cleanup, and the Company is investigating the extent of any such liability and the availability of applicable defenses. The Company has retained certain liabilities related to environmental matters at formerly owned U.S. refineries that were sold in 2011. The Company also obtained insurance covering certain levels of environmental exposures related to past operations of these refineries. The Company believes costs related to these sites will not have a material adverse affect on Murphy’s net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently considers the Company to be a Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) at one Superfund site. The Company has thus far been unable to ascertain any association with the Superfund site based on its research of the facts associated with the site, and the Company has notified the EPA accordingly. Based on currently available information, the Company believes that it has no responsibility at this Superfund site. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded a liability for remedial costs at the Superfund site at December 31, 2013. The potential total cost to all parties to perform necessary remedial work at the site may be substantial. If proven to be responsible, the Company could be required to bear a pro rata share of costs attributable to nonparticipating PRPs or could be assigned additional responsibility for remediation at the site. The Company believes that its share of the ultimate costs to remediate the Superfund site will be immaterial and will not have a material adverse effect on its net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period. With the spin-off of Murphy’s U.S. retail marketing business in 2013, the newly formed public company, Murphy USA Inc., has retained any environmental exposure associated with U.S. marketing operations. Murphy Oil has assigned its potential liability for one other Superfund site to Murphy USA Inc., and this company has accepted any potential responsibility for this site. There is the possibility that environmental expenditures could be required at currently unidentified sites, and new or revised regulations could require additional expenditures at known sites. However, based on information currently available to the Company, the amount of future remediation costs incurred at known or currently unidentified sites is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future net income, cash flows or liquidity. LEGAL MATTERS – Murphy and its subsidiaries are engaged in a number of other legal proceedings, all of which Murphy considers routine and incidental to its business. Based on information currently available to the Company, the ultimate resolution of environmental and legal matters referred to in this note is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period. OTHER MATTERS – In the normal course of its business, the Company is required under certain contracts with various governmental authorities and others to provide financial guarantees or letters of credit that may be drawn upon if the Company fails to perform under those contracts. At December 31, 2013, the Company had contingent liabilities of $129,866,000 on outstanding letters of credit. The Company has not accrued a liability in its balance sheet related to the letters of credit because it is believed that the likelihood of having these drawn is remote.

Note R – Contingencies

The Company’s operations and earnings have been and may be affected by various forms of governmental action both in the United States and throughout the world. Examples of such governmental action include, but are by no means limited to: tax increases and retroactive tax claims; royalty and revenue sharing increases; import and export controls; price controls; currency controls; allocation of supplies of crude oil and petroleum products and other goods; expropriation of property; restrictions and preferences affecting the issuance of oil and gas or mineral leases; restrictions on drilling and/or production; laws and regulations intended for the promotion of safety and the protection and/or remediation of the environment; governmental support for other forms of energy; and laws and regulations affecting the Company’s relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, stockholders and others. Because governmental actions are often motivated by political considerations, may be taken without full consideration of their consequences, and may be taken in response to actions of other governments, it is not practical to attempt to predict the likelihood of such actions, the form the actions may take or the effect such actions may have on the Company.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS – Murphy and other companies in the oil and gas industry are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations dealing with the environment. Violation of federal or state environmental laws, regulations and permits can result in the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties, injunctions and construction bans or delays. A discharge of hazardous substances into the environment could, to the extent such event is not insured, subject the Company to substantial expense, including both the cost to comply with applicable regulations and claims by neighboring landowners and other third parties for any personal injury and property damage that might result.

The Company currently owns or leases, and has in the past owned or leased, properties at which hazardous substances have been or are being handled. Although the Company has used operating and disposal practices that were standard in the industry at the time, hazardous substances may have been disposed of or released on or under the properties owned or leased by the Company or on or under other locations where these wastes have been taken for disposal. In addition, many of these properties have been operated by third parties whose treatment and disposal or release of hydrocarbons or other wastes were not under Murphy’s control. Under existing laws the Company could be required to remove or remediate previously disposed wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators), to clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater) or to perform remedial plugging operations to prevent future contamination. Certain of these historical properties are in various stages of negotiation, investigation, and/or cleanup, and the Company is investigating the extent of any such liability and the availability of applicable defenses. The Company has retained certain liabilities related to environmental matters at formerly owned U.S. refineries that were sold in 2011. The Company also obtained insurance covering certain levels of environmental exposures related to past operations of these refineries. The Company believes costs related to these sites will not have a material adverse affect on Murphy’s net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently considers the Company to be a Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) at one Superfund site. The Company has thus far been unable to ascertain any association with the Superfund site based on its research of the facts associated with the site, and the Company has notified the EPA accordingly. Based on currently available information, the Company believes that it has no responsibility at this Superfund site. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded a liability for remedial costs at the Superfund site at December 31, 2013. The potential total cost to all parties to perform necessary remedial work at the site may be substantial. If proven to be responsible, the Company could be required to bear a pro rata share of costs attributable to nonparticipating PRPs or could be assigned additional responsibility for remediation at the site. The Company believes that its share of the ultimate costs to remediate the Superfund site will be immaterial and will not have a material adverse effect on its net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period.

With the spin-off of Murphy’s U.S. retail marketing business in 2013, the newly formed public company, Murphy USA Inc., has retained any environmental exposure associated with U.S. marketing operations. Murphy Oil has assigned its potential liability for one other Superfund site to Murphy USA Inc., and this company has accepted any potential responsibility for this site.

There is the possibility that environmental expenditures could be required at currently unidentified sites, and new or revised regulations could require additional expenditures at known sites. However, based on information currently available to the Company, the amount of future remediation costs incurred at known or currently unidentified sites is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future net income, cash flows or liquidity.

LEGAL MATTERS – Murphy and its subsidiaries are engaged in a number of other legal proceedings, all of which Murphy considers routine and incidental to its business. Based on information currently available to the Company, the ultimate resolution of environmental and legal matters referred to in this note is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period.

OTHER MATTERS – In the normal course of its business, the Company is required under certain contracts with various governmental authorities and others to provide financial guarantees or letters of credit that may be drawn upon if the Company fails to perform under those contracts. At December 31, 2013, the Company had contingent liabilities of $129,866,000 on outstanding letters of credit. The Company has not accrued a liability in its balance sheet related to the letters of credit because it is believed that the likelihood of having these drawn is remote.