中聯油大舉購買中東原油
The trading arm of China National Petroleum Corporation has been on a huge buying spree in the past month, snapping up millions of barrels of Middle East crude as global oil prices slumped to the lowest level in almost four years.
隨着國際油價暴跌至近4年來的最低水平，中國石油天然氣集團公司（CNPC,簡稱中石油）旗下的貿易機構在過去一個月掀起一波購買潮，搶購了大量中東原油。
Price-reporting data show that Chinaoil has bought more than 20m barrels of Dubai, Oman and Upper Zakum grades in October, many of them from Unipec, a subsidiary of Chinese state oil company Sinopec.
價格報告機構的數據顯示，中國聯合石油有限責任公司（Chinaoil，以下簡稱中聯油）在10月份購買了逾2000萬桶迪拜、阿曼和上扎庫姆油田(Upper Zakum)的原油，其中許多來自中國國有石油公司中石化(Sinopec)旗下的子公司聯合石化(Unipec)。The purchases have fuelled speculation that China, the world’s largest energy consumer, is taking advantage of the steep drop in crude prices to fill strategic reserves.
這波購買令人猜測，中國這個全球最大的能源消費國正利用油價大幅下跌的機會來充實其戰略儲備。
They also demonstrate the fact that state-owned Chinese companies are taking a more active role in procuring crude oil, rather than relying on trading houses to do it for them.
它也表明瞭如下事實，中國國有企業正在採購原油方面扮演更加積極的角色，而不是依賴交易機構爲它們採購。Citing data from Platts, a leading price-reporting agency, traders and analysts said Chinaoil had bought a record 45 cargoes of the three Middle East crudes in the past month for delivery in December.
根據領先的能源價格報告機構——普氏能源資訊(Platts)提供的數據，交易員和分析師表示，中聯油在過去一個月創紀錄地購買了45船上述三種中東原油，將於今年12月交貨。Concerns about a global supply glut drove benchmark oil prices to their lowest level in almost four years this month.
本月早些時候，對全球供應過剩的擔憂推動基準原油價格下跌至近4年來的最低水平。Since reaching $115 in mid- June, Brent, the international oil marker, has fallen 25 per cent, while West Texas Intermediate, the US equivalent, is down a similar amount.
與今年6月中旬每桶115美元的價格相比，布倫特(Brent)國際原油基準價格下跌了25%，同時美國西德克薩斯中質原油(West Texas Intermediate)的跌幅也差不多。Yesterday the benchmarks were trading at $87.21 and $82.26 respectively. It is against that price backdrop that Chinaoil started its buying spree.
昨日，這兩個基準價格分別爲87.21美元和82.26美元。正是在這種背景下，中聯油開始大肆購買。Analysts say there are several explanations for the high level of crude purchases. One is that China is buying for its strategic petroleum reserve. Energy Aspects, a London-based consultancy, estimates that China has bought 87m barrels of crude for its reserves this year. That figure could rise by a further 20m barrels before all the country’s existing facilities are filled.
分析師表示，中國大量購買原油可能有多個原因。一個是中國要充實其戰略石油儲備。倫敦諮詢公司Energy Aspects估計，中國今年以來爲其儲備購買了8700萬桶原油。如果要注滿當前所有儲備設施，中國可能還會再購買2000萬桶原油。Some of the crude might also be earmarked for commercial storage or to meet higher domestic demand, however.
不過，其中一些原油也可能用於商業儲備，或者滿足國內需求的增長。
