Second-quarter profits at oil giant Royal Dutch Shell have almost doubled after the firm completed a year-long corporate¹ restructuring programme.

石油巨头荷兰皇家壳牌第二季度获利几乎翻倍，该成就得益于公司完成了一项长达一年的企业重组计划。

Shell said the business was recovering from the lows seen in 2009

The firm reported profits of $4.5bn (£2.9bn) on a current cost of supplies basis, up from $2.3bn a year ago.

But it marked a drop from the $4.9bn it made in the first three months of the year as it continued to see "mixed signals" in the world economy.

Earlier this week, rival BP reported a record $17bn loss.

That included a provision（规定，条款） of $32bn to cover the costs of its oil spill in the Gulf² of Mexico.

'Rallying'

In contrast to BP, who suspended dividends⁴（股息，红利） for the rest of the year, Shell said it would pay a second quarter dividend³ of $0.42 per share.

"We continue to see mixed signals in the global economy," Shell chief executive Peter Voser said.

"Oil prices have remained firm so far this year, but refining margins⁵, oil products demand and natural gas spot prices all remain under pressure.

"Our earnings⁶ and cashflow（现金流转） have rallied from 2009's lows, but the outlook remains⁷ uncertain."