With the national oil giant’s East-West crude pipeline operating at full capacity to lessen the impact on supply, Saudi Aramco announced a 25% increase in first-quarter profit on Sunday, demonstrating its endurance as US-Iran war tensions restrict ships across the Strait of Hormuz.

In the three months ending March 31, the largest oil exporter in the world made a net profit of $32.5 billion, exceeding the $30.95 billion LSEG consensus projection.

Due to increased pricing and sales volumes of both crude oil and refined and chemical products, total income increased by about 7% to $115.49 billion over the previous year.

Aramco increased petroleum flows from its east coast to the Red Sea port of Yanbu in response to Iran’s blockade of shipping via the vital Hormuz strait amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict, which has reduced energy supply and caused prices to soar.

NASSER SAYS, “RELIABLE SUPPLY IS CRITICAL.”Amin Nasser, CEO of Aramco, stated that “reliable energy supply is critical” and that “our East-West Pipeline, which reached its maximum capacity of 7.0 million barrels of oil per day, has proven itself to be a critical supply artery, helping to mitigate the impact of a global energy shock.”

About 2 million barrels per day can be supplied by the pipeline to refineries on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, leaving 5 million barrels per day for export.

Following Iran’s blockade of Hormuz, a waterway that supplied one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before to the conflict, Saudi Arabia reduced its output by two million barrels per day. Heavy grades are limited on the line, which primarily carries Arab Light and some Arab Extra Light.

The company’s median analyst forecast of $31.16 billion was exceeded by Aramco’s adjusted quarterly net profit of $33.6 billion. $1.06 billion in non-operational accounting items are subtracted from the total.

Capital expenditures dropped dramatically from $13.4 billion in the fourth quarter to $12.1 billion in the quarter, down from $12.5 billion a year earlier. This year, Aramco planned to spend between $50 and $55 billion on major projects.

Q1 HIGHER DIVIDEND ANNOUNCED

In keeping with the projected total payouts of $87.6 billion for 2026, Aramco announced a base dividend of $21.9 billion for the first quarter, up 3.5% year over year and payable in the second quarter.

In 2023, it also implemented a free cash flow-based performance-linked dividend.

Aramco’s dividends are a major source of funding for the Saudi government’s domestic expenditures and budget deficits. The Public Investment Fund controls 16% of the corporation, while the government directly owns over 81.5%.

Due to a $15.8 billion increase in working capital, free cash flow decreased to $18.6 billion from $19.2 billion in the previous year. Aramco’s gearing – measuring its debt compared to equity – rose to 4.8% at ​March 31 from 3.8% at the end of 2025.

A Syrian crew member was discovered traveling on the ship with an expired seaman’s book, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) announced on Sunday that it had fined a foreign shipping business Rs500,000 [$1,793].

MT Asana is an oil and chemical tanker flying the Tanzanian flag, according to Marine Traffic, a web-based tool and mobile app that offers nearly real-time tracking of ship movements. After the tanker arrived at Karachi Port, the FIA inspected it, according to a statement from the organization.

According to the FIA, a Syrian national on board the ship was discovered traveling on an expired seaman’s book, and his flag state paperwork were also missing.

According to the organization, “FIA’s strict inspection uncovers serious violations of international maritime laws.” “A crew member admits not renewing the seaman’s book during questioning.”

An official document that certifies an individual as a member of a ship’s crew is called a seaman’s book. It is issued under the flags of the various nations’ marine authority.

In the meanwhile, flag state documentation guarantees that a ship is properly registered and permitted to conduct international business.

According to the FIA, it fined the shipping business Rs500,000 [$1,793] for the infraction and summoned the ship’s master. Following the completion of legal procedures, the fine was placed into the national treasury.

“Zero-tolerance policy against suspicious foreign crew and documentation; monitoring at Karachi Port further tightened,” the agency stated.

Due to interruptions in the Strait of Hormuz channel, the FIA has increased its surveillance of foreign vessels.

The crew of a foreign ship that arrived at Karachi Port from Oman was punished on Tuesday after it was discovered that they were in possession of illicit seafarer passports.

After finishing online training, the marine received his books by courier, according to the agency’s preliminary investigations.

According to officials, the ministry has already received comprehensive sugar stock numbers for examination. According to industry insiders, exporting excess inventory might result in foreign exchange profits of over $1 billion.

However, the sugar sector has cautioned that mills may suffer financial losses due to surplus stock levels if exports are prohibited.

Before any export license is given, sugar mill owners would have to ensure that domestic prices would not rise, according to ministry sources. They stated that without such guarantees, the government would not allow exports.

Additionally, officials recalled that the clearance to export 700,000 tonnes of sugar last year led to an increase in domestic prices; at the time, sugar was allegedly selling for between Rs120 and Rs200 per kilogram.

In a previous announcement, the Pakistani government restored an 18% sales tax on imported sugar.

The concession was first implemented in August 2025 with the goal of increasing the availability of domestic sugar. The sales tax on imported sugar was lowered from 18% to 0.25% at the time.

According to the announcement, only sugar imported by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) under a government-approved plan to import 500,000 tonnes of the commodity was eligible for tax reduction.