Saudi Aramco's refining unit Luberef raised $1.32 billion in an initial public offering last year. Reuters
Saudi Aramco's refining unit Luberef raised $1.32 billion in an initial public offering last year. Reuters
Saudi Aramco's refining unit Luberef raised $1.32 billion in an initial public offering last year. Reuters
Saudi Aramco's refining unit Luberef raised $1.32 billion in an initial public offering last year. Reuters

Aramco refining unit Luberef’s profit rises on lower expenses


Fareed Rahman
  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Aramco Base Oil Company, or Luberef, posted a 4 per cent rise in second-quarter net profit on the back of lower expenses.

The company’s net profit after zakat and tax in the three months to the end of June rose to 454.85 million Saudi riyals ($121.29 million), the company said on Sunday in a statement to Saudi Arabia's Tadawul stock exchange, where its shares are traded.

Revenue for the quarter, however, dropped nearly 22 per cent year-on-year to 2.6 billion riyals.

The increase in Luberef's net income was “driven by a decrease in zakat and income tax expenses due to Luberef being subjected to zakat only after its listing”, the company said.

Established in 1976, Luberef operates two production plants on the west coast of the kingdom – in Yanbu and Jeddah – with a combined annual production capacity of 1.3 million tonnes of base oils, according to its website.

The Aramco unit makes base oils used in lubricants for motor vehicles, ships and industrial machinery.

Luberef began trading on the Arab world's largest stock market in December after it raised $1.32 billion in its initial public offering. The refining unit of oil company Saudi Aramco sold more than 50 million shares, or about 29.7 per cent of the company's issued share capital, with the IPO drawing strong demand from investors in the kingdom and internationally.

Luberef was Saudi Arabia's third-largest IPO in 2022 after Americana, the largest quick-service restaurant operator in the Mena region, raised $1.8 billion from its IPO listing and following Nahdi Medical, the kingdom's biggest pharmacy chain, which raised $1.36 billion.

The company's first-half profit jumped nearly 22 per cent to 900.5 million riyals as a result of the decrease in zakat and income tax expenses as well as an "increase in base oil crack margins despite lower base oil volumes sold", it said.

Revenue slid early 28 cent to 4.4 billion riyals in the January-June period.

The company's board of directors approved the distribution of cash dividends to shareholders for the first half of 2023 amounting to 841.28 million riyals, Luberef said.

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World Cup qualifier

Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')

UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

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British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
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Updated: July 30, 2023, 8:09 AM`