中国石化新闻网讯 据彭博社新加坡2月22日报道，就连沙特阿拉伯也想加入美国的石油热潮。

据一位知情人士透露，沙特国家石油公司(state oil firm)在确定这在经济上不可行之前，曾考虑过在2月份通过美国子公司将美国原油运往亚洲的可能性。

据两家地区炼油商的官员说，该公司还询问过潜在的亚洲买家是否对美国供货感兴趣。

事实上本月沙特决定不将货物运送到世界上最大的石油消费地区，但这并不意味着他们不会再考虑这一问题。

这样的销售将是史无前例的，这是中东国家面对美国产量上升时可能采取的策略。

美国的石油供应正威胁着欧佩克及其盟国消除全球供应过剩，并推高油价的努力。

沙特阿拉伯国家石油公司(Saudi Arabian Oil Co.)，即沙特阿美，曾考虑通过总部位于休斯敦的子公司Motiva Enterprises将美国原油航运至亚洲，该公司在得克萨斯州的亚瑟港经营着北美最大的炼油厂，原油日产量超过60万桶。

相对廉价的美国原油在过去一年里越来越多地流向中国、印度和韩国等主要消费国，并蚕食了沙特等传统供应商的市场份额。

尽管美国石油在亚洲仍未站稳脚跟，但沙特阿美正试图利用目前美国页岩油繁荣带来的改变全球市场上货物流动的机遇。

本周，美国基准原油的价格在一年多来首次超过中东标志迪拜。

最近，西德克萨斯中质原油的上升势头可能会影响到潜在的墨西哥湾原油运输。

行业咨询公司Energy Aspects Ltd.的分析师Nevyn Nah表示:“从目前的水平看，WTI相对于迪拜价格的强势，并不足以证明美国原油的套利流进入到亚洲。”

纽约WTI交易价格为61.27美元/桶。

自六月以来，价格已经上涨了40%以上。

根据彭博汇编的航运数据显示，这艘名为“AST Sunshine”的苏伊士型油轮，暂时试图将原油从美国运往亚洲，但未能最终完成航程。

该船原定于2月底从美国墨西哥湾沿岸运输13万吨原油，运往新加坡和中国宁波。

此次IPO（首次公开募股）是沙特放弃石油经济计划的核心。

政府估计此次股份出售可能会使该公司估值达到2万亿美元，尽管分析师们的估计会比较低。

蔡小全 编译自 彭博社

原文如下：

U.S. oil boom tempts Saudis to consider American crude sale

Even Saudi Arabia wants in on the U.S. oil boom.

The kingdom’s state oil firm considered the possibility of sending American crude to Asia in February via a U.S. unit before determining it wasn’t economically viable, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

It also asked potential buyers in Asia if they would be interested in U.S. supply, according to officials at two regional refiners.

The fact that the Saudis decided against moving a cargo to the world’s biggest oil consuming region this month doesn’t mean they won’t consider it again.

Such a sale would be unprecedented, and a potential strategy by the Middle East nation in the face of rising U.S. production.

American supplies are proving a threat to efforts by the OPEC producer and its allies to clear a global glut and prop up prices.

State-run Saudi Arabian Oil Co., known as Aramco, considered shipping the U.S. crude to Asia via its Houston-based Motiva Enterprises unit, which operates North America’s largest refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, with a crude capacity of more than 600,000 bpd.

Relatively cheap U.S. crude has increasingly been making its way to major consuming nations such as China, India and South Korea over the past year and eating into the market share of traditional suppliers like Saudi Arabia.

While American oil is still a fledgling in Asia, Aramco is attempting to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the U.S. shale boom that has transformed the flow of cargoes in the global market.

This week, the price of the benchmark U.S. oil went above the Middle East marker Dubai for the first time in more than a year.

This recent rising strength in West Texas Intermediate may have played a role in scuppering the potential shipment from the Gulf Coast.

“At current levels, the strength in WTI relative to Dubai prices doesn’t justify arbitrage flows of U.S. crude into Asia,” said Nevyn Nah, an analyst at industry consultant Energy Aspects Ltd.

WTI in New York traded at $61.27/bbl.

Prices have risen more than 40% since June.

The Suezmax tanker AST Sunshine, provisionally sought to transport crude from the U.S. to Asia, failed to be finalized for the journey, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg.

The vessel was meant to transport 130,000 metric tons of crude loading in late February from the U.S. Gulf Coast, bound for Singapore and Ningbo in China.

The IPO is the centerpiece of the kingdom’s plan to wean its economy off oil.

The government has estimated the share sale could value the company at $2 trillion, though analysts make lower estimates.