Aug 6 (Reuters) - French oil producer Maurel & Prom

reported a 78% jump in its half-year net income to

$191 million on Thursday, boosted by higher crude prices, and

said crude exports from Venezuela were expected to normalise in

the second half of 2026.

French brokerage Portzamparc said profitability was well

above its expectations, helped by higher oil prices and

contained operating costs.

The company resumed crude oil sales from Venezuela in June,

after receiving a license from the U.S. to operate there in

February, though uncertainty remains over the country's

contribution to the business and how the situation will unfold,

an analyst told Reuters.

Group working-interest production averaged 37,890 barrels of

oil equivalent per day in the first half of 2026, up 1% from a

year ago and 3% from the second half of 2025.

Free cash flow rose 21% year-on-year to $77 million. The

company also raised its ordinary dividend paid out in August by

15% to €0.38 per share, or around $90 million in total.

Separately, Canadian oil and gas producer Gran Tierra Energy ( GTE )

said on Wednesday it had agreed to sell its oil operations in

Colombia and Ecuador to Maurel & Prom for $1.33 billion,

including debt, which would mark the French company's entry into

Ecuador and expand its oil portfolio in Colombia.

Shares of Maurel & Prom were up 2.3% at 0800 GMT.