沙特在重要石油市場份額降低 Saudi Arabia loses out in key markets as Russia and Iraq step up o

Saudi Arabia lost market share in more than half of the most important countries to which it sold oil in the past three years, even as the kingdom increased crude output to record levels.

在沙特銷售原油的半數以上最重要國家裏，過去三年裏沙特的市場份額都有所降低，即便該國把原油產量提高到創紀錄水平。

Oil-producing nations including Russia and Iraq are putting pressure on Saudi Arabia in markets it regards as strategically important trading partners.

在被沙特視爲具有戰略重要性的貿易伙伴國的市場上，俄羅斯和伊拉克等產油國正給沙特帶來壓力。

The world’s biggest oil exporter lost ground to rivals in nine out of 15 top markets between 2013 and 2015, including China, South Africa and the US, according to customs data.

海關數據顯示，從2013年至2015年，世界最大石油出口國在最重要的15個市場中的9個市場（其中包括中國、南非和美國）被對手奪走了份額。

“Saudi Arabia has had a very difficult time selling oil in this environment,” said Ed Morse, analyst at Citigroup. “Its rivals are going into a very crowded market in a very aggressive way.”

“在這一環境下，沙特在原油出口上遇到了巨大的困難，”花旗集團(Citigroup)分析師艾德•摩爾斯(Ed Morse)說，“其競爭對手正以非常咄咄逼人的方式打入一個非常擁擠的市場。”

Saudi set itself a goal in late 2014 of maintaining its crude market share amid a glut that prompted a collapse in oil prices. It led a landmark Opec decision not to cut output to support prices. But import data compiled by FGE, an energy consultancy, suggest the country’s strategy suffered setbacks in some of its key customer countries last year.

2014年末，在原油供應過剩引發油價崩盤的背景下，沙特制定了維護本國原油市場份額的目標。該國主導歐佩克(Opec)做出了一個具有里程碑意義的決定，即不通過減產來支持油價。但能源諮詢公司FGE彙編的進口數據表明，去年，沙特的策略在一些關鍵的客戶國家遭遇了挫折。

Other data show a limited rise in market share in 2015 compared to 2014, although last year’s figure was lower than that recorded in 2013.

其他數據顯示，跟2014年相比，2015年沙特的市場份額出現有限增加，但去年的數字低於2013年。

This illustrates the strategy’s perils as low prices and a war in Yemen wreak financial havoc. Riyadh unveiled deep spending cuts in December and is set to tap bond markets for funds this year.

這表明，在油價走低和也門戰爭造成財務損失之際，沙特的這一策略存在諸多危險。去年12月，沙特宣佈將大幅削減支出，並打算在今年利用債券市場籌集資金。

Brent crude, the global benchmark that plunged to a 13-year low of less than $30 a barrel in January, has fallen from $115 in mid-2014 to $39.88 yesterday.

作爲世界油價基準的布倫特原油(Brent crude)從2014年年中的115美元/桶下跌至昨日的39.88美元/桶。今年1月，布倫特原油曾大跌至不到30美元/桶的13年低點。

FGE’s data show the Saudi share of Chinese oil imports fell from more than 19 per cent in 2013 to almost 15 per cent in 2015 because of increased supplies from Russia. Share of South African imports dropped sharply in that period, from almost 53 per cent to 22 per cent, as Nigeria and Angola raised shipments. The Saudi share of US imports fell from 17 per cent to almost 14 per cent. It also lost ground in South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and some European countries.

FGE數據顯示，由於中國從俄羅斯增加石油進口，沙特在中國石油進口市場的份額從2013年的逾19%下跌至2015年的近15%。同期，由於尼日利亞和安哥拉提高了發貨量，沙特在南非石油進口市場的份額從近53%降到22%。沙特在美國石油進口市場的份額從17%下跌到近14%。在韓國、泰國、臺灣和部分歐洲國家，沙特的份額也有所降低。

Saudi Arabia remains the largest supplier to many countries, including China and it secured market gains in Brazil, India and Japan between 2013 and 2015.

沙特仍是對包括中國在內的許多國家出口原油最多的國家，在2013年至2015年間，還提高了在巴西、印度和日本市場的份額。