石油市场低迷引发第二波浮动储存

据烃加工网9月10日报道，受疫情影响，全球经济复苏陷入停滞，导致全球石油供应再度增加，促使包括托克（Trafigura）在内的贸易商预订油轮，以便再次在海上储存数百万桶原油和成品燃料。

在使用所谓的船载浮动储油之际，由于供大于求，传统的陆上储油能力仍接近产能。

根据贸易消息来源和航运数据显示，贸易公司托克已租用了至少五艘最大型的油轮，每艘都能储存200万桶石油，被称为超大型油轮(VLCCs)。

许多船是新建的，将储存汽油和柴油，在仲夏的缓慢复苏后，这些产品的未售出量特别大。

尽管沙特阿拉伯和俄罗斯等主要石油生产国大幅减产，以及近几个月来炼油厂因消费量空前下降而放慢了生产速度，但库存增加。

根据航运数据和贸易商的数据显示，包括维多（Vitol）、Litasco和Glencore在内的其他顶级贸易商最近几天也预订了大型油轮，以储存柴油，长达90天。

布伦特原油期货跌至每桶40美元左右，此前曾创下自6月份以来的最大单周跌幅。

一市场消息人士称，市场疲软且看跌，浮动库存再度出现。

即期交付的布伦特原油与6个月后交付的Lcoc1-lcoc7之间的价差已稳步下滑至3美元，接近5月底的低点。

纵观近年来，全球石油库存仍远高于平均水平。根据摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)的数据显示，尽管过去30天里库存以每天约160万桶的速度减少，但仍比去年的水平高出约6亿桶。

Rats表示，库存减少最大的是原油库存，但成品油库存仍“顽固”处于高位。

疲软的利润率迹象加剧了黯淡的前景。中国大举购入廉价石油后，在夏季数月创纪录的原油购买量缓解了全球需求损失。

沙特石油巨头沙特阿美公司(Aramco)将其10月份出口亚洲的旗舰阿拉伯轻质原油的官方售价大幅下调了1.40美元/桶，希望能挽回购买兴趣。

由于北海布伦特原油的价差处于6月份以来的最低水平，原油期货价格跟随全球现货原油价格下跌。

西非的石油销售受到影响，尼日利亚上月仍在为计划出口的石油寻找买家，安哥拉的原油价格跌至5月以来的最低水平。

郝芬 译自 烃加工网

原文如下：

Second wave of floating storage triggered by ailing oil market

A stalled global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is leading to a fresh build-up of global oil supplies, pushing traders including Trafigura to book tankers to store millions of barrels of crude oil and refined fuels at sea again.

The use of so-called floating storage onboard tankers comes as traditional onshore storage remains close to capacity as supplies outpace demand.

Trading house Trafigura has chartered at least five of the largest tankers each capable of storing 2 million barrels of oil, known as very large crude-oil carriers (VLCCs), according to trading sources and shipping data.

A number of the vessels are newly-built and are due to store gasoil and diesel, for which unsold volumes are especially high after a modest recovery mid-summer.

The inventory build-up comes despite major oil producers including Saudi Arabia and Russia sharply cutting back output and refineries slowing operations in recent months in response to an unprecedented drop in consumption.

Other top traders including Vitol, Litasco and Glencore have also in recent days booked large tankers to store diesel for up to 90 days, according to shipping data and traders.

Brent crude oil futures are languishing around $40 a barrel after posting their biggest weekly decline since June.

“The market is soft and bearish and floating storage is returning again,” a market source said.

The spread between Brent crude for prompt delivery and six-months in the future Lcoc1-lcoc7 has been declining steadily toward $3 near lows last seen in late May.

Global oil inventories remain sharply above average when looking at recent years. Although stocks have drawn at a pace of around 1.6 million barrels per day over the past 30 days, they are still some 600 million barrels above last year’s levels, according to Morgan Stanley.

Most of the draws were in crude oil inventories, but refined products stocks remained “stubbornly” high, Rats said.

Compounding the bleak picture are weak margins andChina, whose record crude purchases in the summer months as it emerged from economic lockdown to scoop up cheap oil, mitigated demand damage globally.

Saudi oil giant Aramco sharply cut its October official selling price (OSP) for its flagship Arab Light crude to Asia by $1.40 a barrel, hoping to salvage buying interest.

Sagging crude futures tracked sputtering physical crude prices worldwide, as price differentials for North Sea Brent stood at their lowest since June.

West African oil sales suffered, with Nigeria still seeking buyers for oil planned for export last month, Angolan crude selling at the lowest rates.