It posted earnings of QAR 369m ($101m) which beat the QAR 349m figure seen in the same stretch of 2014.

Revenue went up 12% to QAR 786m with Milaha Gas & Petrochem contributing a big part of this rise.

Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani, chairman of Milaha, said: "We are very pleased to have started 2015 so strongly overall.

"While we hope to maintain the momentum, we know that general market conditions for our offshore segment are weakening, and that our capital segment is heavily tied to uncertainties in the local equity market.