April 30 (Reuters) - Marathon Petroleum Corp onTuesday reported a 22 percent increase in quarterly earnings,helped by higher sales from its Galveston Bay plant.
Marathon, the third-largest stand-alone U.S. refiningcompany, said its first-quarter profit was $725 million, or$2.17 per share, compared with $596 million or $1.70 per share,a year earlier.
Earnings met the analysts' average estimate, according toThomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Marathon finalized its purchase of the Galveston Bayrefinery in February. The plant, known for a 2005 explosion thatkilled 15 workers, was purchased from BP Plc as part of a$2.4 billion sale of Gulf Coast assets.