Sudan Suspends Khartoum Oil Refinery Operations over Technical Issues

  The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
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Sudan Suspends Khartoum Oil Refinery Operations over Technical Issues

  The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)

The Khartoum Refinery went out of service due to a malfunction in one of its largest units that generates electricity, the Energy Ministry announced Wednesday.

This comes two weeks after completing the annual periodic maintenance, which took two months, amid fears that the malfunction will cause a fuel crisis.

“All operations at Khartoum Refinery units were halted in emergency over safety risks,” said Director-General of Khartoum Refinery Mahjoub Hassan Abdel Qader.

He affirmed that the facility will resume working as soon as possible, noting that the malfunction is minor and can be fixed.

The ministry has secured the fuel supply so that the consumer sectors in the country are not affected, he added.

Abdel Qader also denied rumors claiming that fire broke out, stressing that the refinery will operate again more efficiently within four days.

The refinery produces 70 percent of domestic fuel, 48 percent of gasoline and 50 percent of gas production for domestic consumption.

The production capacity of the refinery, after completing its maintenance in early March, amounted to 800 tons of gas, 3,000 tons of fuel and 5,000 tons of gasoline.



WTO: Global Trade Could Climb 3% in 2025 if MidEast Conflicts Contained

FILE - Containers are piled up in the harbor in Hamburg, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
FILE - Containers are piled up in the harbor in Hamburg, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
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WTO: Global Trade Could Climb 3% in 2025 if MidEast Conflicts Contained

FILE - Containers are piled up in the harbor in Hamburg, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
FILE - Containers are piled up in the harbor in Hamburg, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)

The World Trade Organization on Thursday nudged up its forecast for global trade volumes this year and said a further pick up to 3% growth was likely in 2025, assuming Middle East conflicts are kept in check.
Global trade recovered this year from a 2023 slump driven by high inflation and rising interest rates, the WTO report said. In April, the global trade watchdog forecast a 2.6% increase in volumes, which it revised up on Thursday to 2.7%, Reuters reported.
"We are expecting a gradual recovery in global trade for 2024, but we remain vigilant of potential setbacks, particularly the potential escalation of regional conflicts like those in the Middle East," said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in a statement.
"The impact could be most severe for the countries directly involved, but they may also indirectly affect global energy costs and shipping routes."
Israel's blitz against Lebanon's Hezbollah in recent weeks, following a year-long war against Hamas in Gaza, has stoked fears of an inexorable slide towards a pan-Middle Eastern war.
The WTO also cited diverging monetary policies among major economies as another downside risk for the forecasts. This "could lead to financial volatility and shifts in capital flows as central banks bring down interest rates," the report said, adding that this would make debt servicing more challenging for poorer countries.
"There is also some limited upside potential to the forecast if interest rate cuts in advanced economies stimulate stronger than expected growth without reigniting inflation," the WTO said.