WASHINGTON — A ban on deepwater drilling might no longer be needed now that the oil industry and the government appear to have developed safer drilling regimes, an expert panel said Thursday in a report to the presidential commission investigating the Gulf oil spill.

The report by the Bipartisan Policy Center is likely to boost oil industry groups and Gulf Coast lawmakers who are pushing to end the six-month drilling moratorium before its scheduled Nov. 30 expiration.

The report said the April explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon rig showed how unprepared government and industry were for a major spill.

The moratorium allowed time for both industry and government to make offshore drilling safer, the report said. The report praised steps taken by the Interior Department to increase safety of so-called blowout preventers and improve the integrity and control of deepwater wells.

"If industry is diligent in incorporating these requirements and DOI is vigilant in oversight and enforcement, we believe this new regime will provide an adequate margin of safety to responsibly allow the resumption of deepwater drilling," the report said.

The report did not specify a timetable when the moratorium should be lifted.