OSLO - Norway's trade surplus skyrocketed 42.9 percent to 27.7 billion kroner (4.3 billion dollars, 3.4 billion euros) in April, up from 19.4 billion kroner 12 months ago, Statistics Norway said on Wednesday.
Boosted by its booming oil sales, Norway saw its exports during the period rise 29.7 percent to 57.1 billion kroner.
The Scandinavian country, which is the world's third largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and Russia, saw its oil exports alone grow by 24.4 percent, due to the current high price per barrel (324 kroner up from 233 kroner in April a year ago).
This increase came despite a drop in exported volumes, which fell to 75.6 million barrels last month from 84.3 million barrels a year earlier.
Norway's natural gas exports meanwhile leapt 50.7 percent while its condensate exports soared 124.9 percent.
Excluding Norway's main export oil and gas, the country's trade balance posted an expanded deficit last month of 7.3 billion kroner, compared to 6.8 billion kroner in April 2004.
05/18/2005 10:21 GMT