S-Oil to Supply Oil Products to Aramco's Trading Unit

FILE PHOTO: The Saudi Aramco logo is pictured at the company's oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Saudi Aramco logo is pictured at the company's oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
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S-Oil to Supply Oil Products to Aramco's Trading Unit

FILE PHOTO: The Saudi Aramco logo is pictured at the company's oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Saudi Aramco logo is pictured at the company's oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

South Korea’s third-biggest refiner, S-Oil, has signed a contract to supply a total of 3.1 trillion won ($2.66 billion) of refined oil products to Saudi Aramco’s trading arm, it said on Wednesday.

A regulatory filing showed the firm will supply up to 10 million barrels of diesel, up to 15 million barrels of naphtha, up to 11 million barrels of jet fuel and up to 8 million barrels of gasoline to Aramco Trading Singapore under the contract, valid between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020.

S-Oil’s top shareholder is Saudi Aramco.

Oil prices were mixed on Wednesday as worries about the coronavirus outbreak and swelling US crude inventories weighed on prices, counter-balanced by talk that OPEC could extend oil output cuts.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries wants to extend production cuts, currently planned till the end of March, until at least June, and could deepen reductions should oil demand in China fall significantly due to the coronavirus, OPEC sources said.



Saudi Arabia Provides $500 Million in Financial Support to Yemen

Saudi Arabia Provides $500 Million in Financial Support to Yemen
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Saudi Arabia Provides $500 Million in Financial Support to Yemen

Saudi Arabia Provides $500 Million in Financial Support to Yemen

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given new economic support to Yemen, worth $500 million, to strengthen the Yemeni government's budget and bolster the Central Bank of Yemen.
The Saudi support package consists of a $300 million deposit in the Central Bank of Yemen, to improve the economic and financial situation, and $200 million to deal with the Yemeni budget deficit, out of a total pledge of $1.2 billion.
According to SPA, the funding, through the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY), aims to enhance food security, support salaries and wages, cover operating expenses, and help the government implement its economic reform program.
It also seeks to help set the basis for economic, financial, and monetary stability in the Republic of Yemen, strengthen this country’s public finances, enhance the capacity of government institutions, and improve governance and transparency. It also aims to empower the private sector to drive sustainable economic growth and create job opportunities, ultimately placing the national economy on a more sustainable path and driving economic and social development.
Previous Saudi deposits positively impacted the foreign exchange reserves of the Central Bank of Yemen, reduced the exchange rates, and contributed to the growth of the GDP. They also helped lower fuel and diesel prices, as well as the cost of imported food commodities.
Together with previous assistance, including grants and deposits, this aid aims to buttress Yemen's economic stability.
Key contributions of Saudi support include covering imports of essential food commodities (wheat grains, wheat flour, rice, milk, cooking oil, and sugar), strengthening the Central Bank's foreign exchange reserves, stabilizing the local currency, and reducing fuel and diesel prices.
While Saudi grants have positively impacted economic and social development in Yemen, and supported the national economy, they also helped mitigate the economic deterioration by increasing the foreign exchange reserves and boosting confidence in the Central Bank of Yemen.
Moreover, these grants led to greater financial transfers and foreign aid, thus strengthening the balance of income and transfers in Yemen.
The grants effectively stimulated economic growth while lessening inflationary pressures. By enabling the government to cover salaries and wages, they significantly reduced the budget deficit, which, in turn, improved the financial stability of the country and lowered the government's reliance on borrowing to finance its expenditures.
The grants greatly helped improve the performance of critical sectors. In healthcare, it funded essential medicines for chronic diseases and cancer treatment. It also came to the help of education and other vital sectors, and covered the cost of petroleum derivatives for electricity generation.
The Kingdom also significantly contributed to Yemen's economic growth by providing grants for petroleum derivatives. These grants enabled 80 power generation stations to operate in all Yemeni governorates, thus stimulating the Yemeni economy and enhancing the efficiency of vital, productive and service sectors in Yemen.
Through SDRPY, the Kingdom has implemented 263 development projects and initiatives in various Yemeni governorates. These projects serve the Yemeni people in eight crucial sectors: education, health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture and fisheries, capacity building of the Yemeni government, and development programs.