美国石油获亚洲市场青睐

    中国石化新闻网讯 据世界石油6月22日新加坡报道，由于欧佩克＋联盟坚持遏制石油产量以支撑油价，亚洲买家正越来越多地向美国寻求更廉价的供应来源。

    过去几个月来，原油进口量最大地区的炼油厂接受沙特和伊拉克等产油国大幅削减常规合约产量。官方售价的大幅波动也让他们大吃一惊。

    产量的下降和价格的不确定性正促使亚洲的原油加工业更密切地关注美国原油，尤其是在过去几个月跨太平洋的运费已经下降的情况下。四家从事原油买卖的亚洲加工商表示，他们正在考虑购买美国石油。

    沙特和其他欧佩克成员国长期以来一直是亚洲可靠的供应商，但大幅减产后随之而来的价格战令该地区的买家感到不安。虽然这些传统供应商不太可能在短期内被美国超越，但这种不稳定为美国生产商创造了机会。

    新加坡JTD能源服务公司首席策略师John Driscoll表示：“炼厂很难应对这种波动。另一方面，由于价格和运费较低，美国石油看起来更具吸引力。”

    流向亚洲的美国石油量已经在上升。Vortexa的数据显示，预计约有4,900万桶原油将于下月运抵亚洲，而5月和6月的运抵量分别为2,700万桶。这家市场分析公司的高级分析师Serena Huang称，美国原油相对于布伦特等其他基准原油的折扣幅度更大。

    而包括GS加德士.和SK 创新在内的韩国加工商购买了WTI Midland和Eagle Ford等美国品种的原油，预计9月到货。印度石油公司本月还抢购了1,200万桶美国原油，包括Sweet、Eagle Ford和WTI Midland等品级，准备明年初交货。

    WTI Midland是一些北亚炼油商首选的品级，可与阿布扎比Murban和Das Blend、沙特的Arab Extra Light和Arab Light以及俄罗斯的Sokol相媲美。炼油厂官员表示，美国品种的原油比中东同类原油便宜。

    据彭博社汇编的数据显示，WTI Midland相对于基准原油的现货溢价较一个月前上升了约2美元/桶，而Murban的溢价因其官方售价的上涨而上涨了4美元/桶。

    裘寅 编译自 世界石油

    原文如下：

U.S. oil gaining appeal in Asia as OPEC+ suppliers limit output

As the OPEC+ alliance sticks to its guns in trying to curb oil output to shore up prices, Asian buyers are increasingly looking to the U.S. for a cheaper source of supply.

Refiners in the top crude-importing region have been forced to accept big reductions in their regular contracted volumes from producers including Saudi Arabia and Iraq in the past couple of months. They’ve also been taken aback by sharp swings in official selling prices.

The lower volumes and pricing uncertainty is encouraging Asian processors to take a closer look at American crudes, particularly as freight rates across the Pacific have fallen over the last couple of months. Staff at four Asian processors who buy and sell crude said they were considering purchasing U.S. oil.

Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members have long-standing reputations as reliable suppliers to Asia, but the price war followed quickly by massive output cuts have unsettled buyers in the region. While these traditional suppliers are unlikely to be overtaken by the U.S. anytime soon, the instability has created an opening for American producers.

“It’s difficult for refiners to cope with such volatility,” said John Driscoll, chief strategist at JTD Energy Services Pte in Singapore. “On the other hand, U.S. oil is looking more attractive with lower prices and freight rates.”

The volume of U.S. oil flowing to Asia is already rising. About 49 million barrels are scheduled to arrive next month, compared with 27 million barrels each in May and June, figures from Vortexa Ltd. show. Deeper discounts for American crude relative to other benchmark crudes such as Brent，said Serena Huang, a senior analyst at the market analytics firm.

South Korean processors including GS Caltex Corp. and SK Innovation Co. purchased U.S. varieties including WTI Midland and Eagle Ford for September. Indian Oil Corp. also snapped up 12 million barrels of American crude this month including Domestic Sweet, Eagle Ford and WTI Midland for delivery early next year.

WTI Midland, a favored grade for some North Asian refiners, is comparable to Abu Dhabi’s Murban and Das Blend and Saudi Arabia’s Arab Extra Light and Arab Light, as well as Russian Sokol. The American varieties are cheaper than similar Middle Eastern types of the crude, the refinery officials said.

The spot premium to purchase WTI Midland against its benchmark has risen by about $2 a barrel from a month earlier, while that for Murban has increased by $4 a barrel because of an increase in its official selling price, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.