中国石化新闻网讯 据MRCHUB网站8月23日报道，根据烃加工网称，亚洲炼油厂正在寻找原油来取代科威特的供应，因为这个欧佩克产油国削减了近五分之一的出口，以供应其庞大的新炼油厂，这推高了其他含硫原油的价格，并可能挤压利润率。
科威特出口下降之前，欧佩克主要成员国沙特阿拉伯减产，将布伦特原油价格推至每桶近90美元，亚洲炼油商几乎没有回旋的空间，这些炼油厂三分之二以上的原油进口依赖中东。
但科威特的大多数客户将不得不从沙特阿拉伯、伊拉克和阿拉伯联合酋长国等其他供应商那里购买类似质量的石油，或者从其他地区购买更昂贵的低硫石油。咨询公司睿咨得能源（Rystad Energy）的分析师Janiv Shah表示，沙特阿拉伯和阿联酋是填补中东供应缺口的最大竞争者，因为它们生产和出口的是中等含硫原油。
Energy Aspects分析师孙佳楠表示，他们不太可能完全满足需求。欧佩克生产商及其盟友的持续减产以及旨在加工含硫原油的新炼油能力可能导致供应紧张，直至2024年底。
根据Kpler的数据显示，随着Al Zour炼油厂的扩建，科威特1至7月的原油出货量比2022年同期减少了约10%，至161万桶/日。根据数据显示，同期对印度等国的出口下降了17%以上，而对巴基斯坦、菲律宾和泰国的出口量降至零。
据咨询公司FGE、Energy Aspects、Rystad Energy和S&P Global Commodity Insights称，今年下半年，科威特的出口量将减少30万桶/天，比上半年减少18%，因为其将供应转移到日产能为61.5万桶的Al Zour工厂，该工厂在7月份启动了第三个也是最后一个原油蒸馏装置(CDU)。
此外，各咨询公司表示，科威特在阿曼的日产能为23万桶的合资企业Duqm炼油厂计划于2023年底开始运营，这可能会使科威特原油出口量在2024年进一步减少10万至20万桶/天。
据一位知情人士称，科威特石油公司(KPC)已通知买家，每个月供应量都可能波动，一旦Al Zour全面投产，供应量可能进一步减少。KPC没有回应路透的置评请求。
郝芬 译自 MRCHUB网站
原文如下：
Asia's refiners face profit crunch as Kuwait cuts crude exports
Asian refiners are on the hunt for crude oil to replace Kuwaiti supply as the OPEC producer cuts exports by nearly a fifth to feed its huge new refinery, which is driving up prices for other sour crudes and likely to squeeze profit margins, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Lower Kuwaiti exports follow cuts from OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia that have pushed Brent prices close to USD90 a barrel and left little wriggle room for Asia's refiners, reliant on the Middle East for more than two-thirds of crude imports.
But most of Kuwait's customers will have to pay up for similar quality oil from other suppliers such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates or buy more expensive sweet grades from other regions. "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the top contenders for filling the supply gap in the Middle East due to their production and export of medium sour barrels," said Janiv Shah, an analyst at consultancy Rystad Energy.
"It is improbable that they will be able to entirely meet the demand." Sustained output cuts from OPEC producers and their allies and new refining capacity designed to process sour crude could lead to tight supply until the end of 2024, Energy Aspects analyst Sun Jianan said.
Kuwait's crude shipments shrank by about 10% to 1.61 million barrels per day (bpd) in January-July from the same period in 2022 as its Al Zour refinery ramped up, according to Kpler data. Exports to India... dropped more than 17% during the same period, while volumes for Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand fell to zero, the data showed.
In the second half, Kuwait will reduce its exports by up to 300,000 bpd, down 18% from the first half, as it diverts supply to the 615,000 bpd Al Zour plant, which cranked up its third and final crude distillation unit (CDU) in July, according to consultancies FGE, Energy Aspects, Rystad Energy and S&P Global Commodity Insights.
Additionally, Kuwait's joint venture 230,000 bpd Duqm refinery in Oman is scheduled to start operation by end-2023, which could reduce Kuwaiti crude exports by a further 100,000 bpd to 200,000 bpd in 2024, the consultancies said.
Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) has notified buyers that volumes could fluctuate each month and could be further reduced once Al Zour is at full operation, a source familiar with the matter said. KPC did not respond to Reuters' inquiry seeking comment.
