Business

Pakistan begins transporting much-awaited Russian oil to refinery

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Crude oil being shifted to Pakistan Refinery Limited.
The entire oil will be shifted to refinery tomorrow.
Vessel reached Pakistan waters from Port of Oman.

KARACHI: Local authorities have begun transporting the much-anticipated discounted Russian crude oil from the vessel to a refinery in the port city, people familiar with the matter told Geo News Monday.

People in the facility said that of the 45,000 metric tonnes of crude oil, 3,000 metric tonnes had been offloaded from the ship to Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL).

They added that the crude oil, which took more than 20 days to reach the country, will be entirely shifted to the refinery tomorrow. The vessel reached the Pakistani waters from the Port of Oman.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Sunday that the cargo had reached Karachi — a first for Pakistan, which has traditionally imported the commodity for oil-rich Gulf nations.

“I have fulfilled another of my promises to the nation. Glad to announce that the first Russian discounted crude oil cargo has arrived in Karachi and will begin oil discharge tomorrow.”

“Today is a transformative day,” he said.

In April, Pakistan placed its first order for discounted Russian crude oil under a new deal signed between Islamabad and Moscow.

The News reported that after refining the crude, a test report would be submitted to the government on the quality, yields, transportation cost, and commercial viability of the crude oil.

Following the approval of the report, the government will go for a long-term government-to-government (gtg) deal with Russia.

The test cargo will also help the government assess the transportation costs, refining costs, and margins for refineries and also to know how smooth the payment mechanism that has been carved out based on the Yuan currency.

Pakistan imports 70% of its crude oil, which the PRL, National Refinery Limited, Pak Arab Refinery Limited, and Byco Petroleum refine.

The remaining 30% is locally produced and refined by the local refineries, including Attock Refinery Limited.

The move to import oil from Russia comes as Pakistan is looking to diversify its sources of oil imports amid rising global prices.

Russia is a major producer of crude oil and has offered the country discounted oil prices. The payment for the Russian crude will be made in Yuan through the Bank of China.

The Russian crude is reported to have come to Pakistan at $50-52 per barrel against the price cap of $60 per barrel imposed by the G7 countries, so at this cost, the furnace oil cost may go in a positive trajectory.

Business

With its second-largest surge ever, PSX approaches 114,000 points.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Driven by renewed activity from both private and government financial institutions, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) saw its second-largest rally in history on Monday.

The market regained many important levels in a single trading session as it rose with previously unheard-of momentum.

Intraday trading saw a top increase of 4,676 points, and the PSX’s benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 4,411 points to settle at 113,924 points. This impressive rebound demonstrated significant investor confidence by reestablishing the 100,000, 111,000, 112,000, and 113,000-point levels.

The market also saw the 114,000-point limit reestablished during the trading session.

The positive tendency was reflected when the market’s heavyweight shares touched its upper circuits. Among the most busiest trading sessions in recent memory, an astounding 85.78 billion shares worth a total of Rs55 billion were exchanged.

Experts credited the spike to heightened institutional investor activity and hope for macroeconomic recovery. Considered a major market recovery, the rally demonstrated the market’s tenacity and development potential.

Business

In interbank trade, the Pakistani rupee beats the US dollar.

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

In the international exchange market, the US dollar has continued to weaken in relation to the Pakistani rupee.

The dollar fell to Rs278.10 from Rs278.17 at the beginning of interbank trading, according to currency dealers, a seven paisa loss.

In the meantime, there was a lot of turbulence in the stock market, but it recovered and moved into the positive zone. The KSE-100 index recovered momentum and reached 116,000 points after soaring 1,300 points.

Both currency and stock market swings, according to analysts, are a reflection of ongoing market adjustments and economic uncertainty.

Business

Phase II of CPEC: China-Pakistan Partnership Enters a New Era

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

The cornerstone of economic cooperation between the two brothers and all-weather friends is still the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the initiative’s flagship project.

In contrast to reports of a slowdown, recent events indicate a renewed vigour and strategic emphasis on pushing the second phase of CPEC, known as CPEC Phase-2, according to the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives.

According to the statement, this crucial stage seeks to reshape the foundation of bilateral ties via increased cooperation, cutting-edge technology transfer, and revolutionary socioeconomic initiatives.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal is leading Pakistan’s participation in a number of high-profile gatherings in China, such as the 3rd Forum on China-Indian Ocean Region Development Cooperation in Kunming and the High-Level Seminar on CPEC-2 in Beijing.

His involvement demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to reviving CPEC, resolving outstanding concerns, and developing a strong phase-2 roadmap that considers both countries’ long-term prosperity.

At the core of these interactions is China’s steadfast determination to turn CPEC into a strategic alliance that promotes development, progress, and connectivity.

Instead of being marginalised, CPEC is developing into a multifaceted framework with five main thematic corridors: the Opening-Up/Regional Connectivity Corridor, the Innovation Corridor, the Green Corridor, the Growth Corridor, and the Livelihood-Enhancing Corridor.

With the help of projects like these, the two countries will fortify their partnership, and CPEC phase-2 will become a model of global economic integration and collaboration that benefits not just China and Pakistan but the entire region.