全球海上原油儲(chǔ)存接近歷史最高水平

據(jù)世界能源新聞倫敦報(bào)道，航運(yùn)業(yè)消息人士稱(chēng)，原油交易商迄今在停泊在海上的油輪上儲(chǔ)存了多達(dá)8000萬(wàn)桶原油，由于全球庫(kù)存過(guò)剩，陸地油庫(kù)很快就會(huì)被填滿，因此他們還在尋找更多的油輪來(lái)儲(chǔ)存原油。

由于疫情蔓延，全球原油需求銳減三分之一，加上沙特阿拉伯和俄羅斯等主要產(chǎn)油國(guó)拒絕限制產(chǎn)量，交易商們紛紛涌入儲(chǔ)油庫(kù)，造成了據(jù)信是歷史上規(guī)模最大的原油供應(yīng)過(guò)剩。上一次達(dá)到類(lèi)似水平是在2009年，當(dāng)時(shí)交易商在出清庫(kù)存之前在海上儲(chǔ)存了1億多桶原油。

全球共有770多艘超級(jí)油輪，每艘最大載油量為200萬(wàn)桶。航運(yùn)消息人士估計(jì)，目前已有25至40艘超級(jí)油輪用于海上原油儲(chǔ)存。海上儲(chǔ)存原油的位置通常包括美國(guó)墨西哥灣和新加坡，這兩個(gè)地區(qū)均是全球主要的原油中心。相比之下，2月份全球只有不到10艘超大型油輪儲(chǔ)存原油。

原油市場(chǎng)目前存在所謂的期貨溢價(jià)，即遠(yuǎn)期價(jià)格高于當(dāng)前價(jià)格。這種市場(chǎng)結(jié)構(gòu)鼓勵(lì)交易商將原油儲(chǔ)存起來(lái)，希望在未來(lái)出售原油中獲得利潤(rùn)。

船舶經(jīng)紀(jì)商E.A.吉布森的研究主管理查德?馬修斯估計(jì)，3月份全球至少有31艘超大型油輪被租出，租期不超過(guò)12個(gè)月，其中可能包括儲(chǔ)存原油選擇。馬修斯補(bǔ)充說(shuō)，相比之下，2月份全球僅預(yù)訂了4艘12個(gè)月或更短時(shí)間的超大型油輪，很有可能用于儲(chǔ)存原油。

油輪日費(fèi)率日前已飆升至超過(guò)23萬(wàn)美元的歷史高點(diǎn)，并在3月12日左右達(dá)到了20萬(wàn)美元的水平。原油交易商必須為長(zhǎng)期租船支付溢價(jià)。

全球領(lǐng)先的油輪公司Frontline (FRO)首席執(zhí)行官羅伯特?哈維德?麥克勞德把這種情況形容為“一代人只有一次”。他在一個(gè)數(shù)字資本鏈接論壇上表示：“這一切現(xiàn)在真的開(kāi)始了——油輪儲(chǔ)存原油即將改變這個(gè)市場(chǎng)，徹底改變2020年?！?/span>

希臘Tsakos能源航運(yùn)公司 (TNP)首席執(zhí)行官尼古拉?察科斯補(bǔ)充稱(chēng)，人們對(duì)規(guī)模較小的阿芙拉級(jí)油輪業(yè)務(wù)也越來(lái)越感興趣。察科斯在論壇上表示，“我們是少數(shù)幾個(gè)經(jīng)歷強(qiáng)勁周期的行業(yè)之一，我們看到人們對(duì)海上原油儲(chǔ)存的興趣很大。期貨溢價(jià)是存在的?！?/span>

貿(mào)易消息人士表示，中東地區(qū)重要燃料補(bǔ)給和石油中心的阿聯(lián)酋富查伊拉地區(qū)的儲(chǔ)油罐已經(jīng)達(dá)到了它們?cè)秃褪彤a(chǎn)品的全部?jī)?chǔ)存能力。

經(jīng)紀(jì)商Fearnley Securities在一份報(bào)告中表示：“在極端浮式儲(chǔ)存經(jīng)濟(jì)的支持下，船東們能夠以極具吸引力的費(fèi)率將船舶閑置6至12個(gè)月?！薄拔覀儾粫?huì)否決在未來(lái)6-12個(gè)月內(nèi)將100-200艘超大型油輪撤出市場(chǎng)的提議?！?/span>

歐洲大型油輪運(yùn)營(yíng)商Euronav首席執(zhí)行官雨果?德?斯托普在另一份聲明中表示，全球超大型油輪船隊(duì)將根據(jù)費(fèi)率提供浮式儲(chǔ)存原油。

李峻 編譯自 世界能源新聞

原文如下：

Oil Storage at Sea Approaching Record Levels

Oil traders are storing as much as 80 million barrels of oil on tankers at sea, with further ships being sought as land storage sites fill up fast due to a global glut of stocks, shipping industry sources say.

Traders rushed for storage after global oil demand collapsed by a third due to the coronavirus outbreak, and as top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia have refused to curb output so far, creating what is believed to be the biggest oil glut in history.

The last time floating storage reached similar levels was in 2009, when traders stored over 100 million barrels at sea before offloading stocks.

There are over 770 supertankers in the world - each carrying a maximum of 2 million barrels - and shipping sources estimate that between 25 to 40 are currently being used for floating storage.

Locations typically include the U.S. Gulf and Singapore, where major oil hubs are situated.

This compares with fewer than 10 such vessels - known as very large crude carriers (VLCCs) - in February.

The crude market is currently trading in what is known as contango, where forward prices are higher than immediate prices. This market structure encourages traders to park barrels in storage in the hopes of selling them for a profit later.

Richard Matthews, head of research with ship broker E.A. Gibson, estimated that at least 31 VLCCs had been chartered in March for 12 months or less, with it likely that these included storage options.

This compared with 4 VLCCs booked in February for charters of 12 months or less with likely storage options, Matthews added.

Daily tanker rates have rocketed to record highs of over $230,000 a day this week, and reached the $200,000 a day level around March 12. Traders have to pay a premium for longer term charters.

Robert Hvide MacLeod, chief executive of leading tanker player Frontline (FRO), described the situation as "once in a generation".

"It’s now really kicking off - the storage on ships is about to change this market and change 2020 completely," he told a digital Capital Link forum on Tuesday.

Nikolas Tsakos, chief executive of Tsakos Energy Navigation (TNP) , added that there was also growing interest for the smaller aframax tanker segment.

"We are one of the few industries going through a very strong cycle, we are seeing a lot of interest for storage. The contango is there," he told the forum.

Trade sources said on Wednesday that storage tanks in the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah, a key bunkering and oil hub in the Middle East, had reached their full capacity for both crude and oil products.

"Owners have been able to put vessels away for 6-12 months at very attractive rates, supported by extreme floating storage economics," broker Fearnley Securities said in a note this week. "We wouldn’t overrule seeing 100-200 VLCCs taken off the market for the next 6-12 months."

Hugo De Stoop, chief executive of major tanker operator Euronav, said separately that the global VLCC fleet would be available for floating storage depending on the rates.