Aramco, Petronas Launch Corporate Identity of Joint Ventures

 Abdulaziz Judaimi, Senior Vice President, Downstream, Saudi Aramco; Datuk Md Arif Mahmood, Executive Vice President Downstream, PETRONAS; Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, President & CEO, PETRONAS; Amin Nasser, President & CEO, Saudi Aramco (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Abdulaziz Judaimi, Senior Vice President, Downstream, Saudi Aramco; Datuk Md Arif Mahmood, Executive Vice President Downstream, PETRONAS; Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, President & CEO, PETRONAS; Amin Nasser, President & CEO, Saudi Aramco (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Aramco, Petronas Launch Corporate Identity of Joint Ventures

 Abdulaziz Judaimi, Senior Vice President, Downstream, Saudi Aramco; Datuk Md Arif Mahmood, Executive Vice President Downstream, PETRONAS; Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, President & CEO, PETRONAS; Amin Nasser, President & CEO, Saudi Aramco (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Abdulaziz Judaimi, Senior Vice President, Downstream, Saudi Aramco; Datuk Md Arif Mahmood, Executive Vice President Downstream, PETRONAS; Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, President & CEO, PETRONAS; Amin Nasser, President & CEO, Saudi Aramco (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Aramco and Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) launched on Tuesday the corporate identity for their joint ventures in the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) located in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia, namely Pengerang Refining Company Sdn Bhd (PRefChem Refining) and Pengerang Petrochemical Company Sdn Bhd (PRefChem Petrochemical)*2, collectively known as “PRefChem”.

Earlier in March, PETRONAS and Saudi Aramco concluded the Share Purchase Agreement for equal ownership and participation in the operations of the refinery, cracker and selected petrochemical facilities in the PIC.

A ceremony was held at the complex which also saw the unveiling of PRefChem’s logo, and it was attended by President and CEO of Saudi Aramco Amin Nasser, President and CEO of PETRONAS Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, Executive Vice President Downstream of PETRONAS Datuk Md Arif Mahmood, as well as other officials.

Speaking at the occasion, Amin Nasser stated that it marks an important milestone for this joint venture project, which is an integral part of Saudi Aramco’s refining and fuels marketing and chemicals business strategies and will help in strengthening the company’s growth position in Southeast Asia through crude supply and world-scale downstream operations.

This venture also closely aligns with Aramco's downstream strategy to invest in a global refining and petrochemicals system of world-scale manufacturing complexes in key regions with participated refining capacity of eight to 10 million barrels per day by 2030, he added.

"We are committed to help enhance the area’s prosperity and look forward to this new stage of cooperation with our valued partner PETRONAS," asserted Nasser.

CEO Nasser explained that Malaysia provides a great opportunity for Aramco’s downstream portfolio expansion in Asia and PRefChem’s strategic location in Pengerang will clearly position the country as a prolific regional energy hub, at the same time serve to enhance energy security in the Asia-Pacific region.

Also, Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee spoke at the event describing the integrated partnership as a "visionary move by two professionally-run national oil companies where both are able to leverage on each other’s strengths and share technical capabilities as well as experiences for mutual benefit."

"I am proud that we are among the pioneer of national oil companies partnering with one another to ensure better positioning for both organisations in an increasingly competitive market," he added.

He indicated that this partnership was built on a shared vision and shared values that align a number of priorities for both parties including – upholding the trust that both organisations have in contributing to both nations and their people.

PRefChem also celebrated a major milestone with the mechanical completion of Package 2 comprising the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU). The mechanical completion certificate was presented to Sun Lili, President of Sinopec Engineering, by Datuk Md Arif Mahmood. Both Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee and Nasser attended the event.

Dr Wong said that the circular movement of the logo represents collaboration, precision and bonding between PETRONAS and Saudi Aramco, while the blue and green colors portray PRefChem as a vibrant, dynamic and environmentally friendly company.

The refinery complex and cracker are now 96.54 percent complete while the petrochemical facilities has achieved 84.8 percent completion.



Oil Prices Hold Steady on Support from US-China Trade Hopes

 FILE PHOTO: A pump jack operates near a gas turbine power plant in the Permian Basin oil field outside of Odessa, Texas, US February 18, 2025.  REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A pump jack operates near a gas turbine power plant in the Permian Basin oil field outside of Odessa, Texas, US February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo
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Oil Prices Hold Steady on Support from US-China Trade Hopes

 FILE PHOTO: A pump jack operates near a gas turbine power plant in the Permian Basin oil field outside of Odessa, Texas, US February 18, 2025.  REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A pump jack operates near a gas turbine power plant in the Permian Basin oil field outside of Odessa, Texas, US February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo

Oil prices held steady on Thursday, supported by hopes of a breakthrough in looming trade talks between the US and China, the world's two largest oil consumers. Brent crude futures were up 43 cents, or 0.7%, at $61.55 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 49 cents, or 0.8% to $58.56 a barrel at 0803 GMT.

The market has almost stabilized at slightly above $61 a barrel, said SEB analyst Ole Hvalbye, which along with some optimism around the current tariff situation with talks due between the US and China, was providing support.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with China's top economic official on May 10 in Switzerland for negotiations over a trade war that is disrupting the global economy. The countries are the world's two largest economies and the fallout from their trade dispute is likely to lower crude consumption growth. At the same time, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, known as OPEC+, will increase its oil output, adding to pressure on prices.

Analysts at Citi Research lowered their three-month price forecast for Brent to $55 per barrel from $60 earlier, but maintained its long-term forecast of $60 a barrel this year.

A US-Iran nuclear deal could drive Brent prices down towards $50 per barrel on increased supply in the market, but if no deal were to happen, prices could go up to over $70, they added.

Overnight, the US Federal Reserve left the policy rate unchanged, but highlighted the risks of higher inflation and unemployment.

"The Fed signaled that rates will likely remain on hold until the effects of tariffs become clearer. This boosted the US dollar, which added to headwinds facing the broader commodity markets," said ING analysts in a report on Thursday.