美國中東石油進口量上升

The US was more reliant on the Middle East for its oil imports last year, underscoring the critical importance of the politically-unstable region for the country despite the growing energy independence its shale gas revolution is bringing.

去年美國在石油進口方面對中東的依賴度上升，凸顯出這一政治不穩定地區對於美國的重要性，儘管頁岩氣開發帶來的能源革命使美國的能源獨立性逐步上升。

That domestic production boom has triggered intense debate over whether the US would still guard the world’s critical sea lanes, such as the Strait of Hormuz in two decades’ time – or whether China, whose dependence on Middle Eastern crude imports is rapidly rising – would replace it.

美國國內能源開發的繁榮引發了激烈辯論，其主題是：20年後霍爾木茲海峽(Strait of Hormuz)等世界關鍵航道是否仍將由美國來確保暢通？對於中東原油進口依賴度正在迅速上升的中國，是否將接替美國的這一角色？

However, recent oil import trends from the Gulf region suggest why the US might continue to play a critical security role in the region. While domestic production increased the most in 150 years last year, Washington will confirm later this week that oil imports from the Gulf region continued to rise.

但近期美國從海灣地區的石油進口趨勢似乎表明，美國可能將繼續在這一地區的安全領域扮演關鍵角色。雖然去年美國國內的能源產量增幅達到150年來的最大值，但美國政府將於本週晚些時候證實，從海灣地區的石油進口仍在繼續增長。

By the end of November the US had already imported more than 450m barrels of crude from Saudi Arabia, more than it imported from Riyadh in the whole of 2009, 2010 or 2011, according to figures from the US Department of Energy. For the first time since 2003, Saudi imports accounted for more than 15 per cent of total US oil imports. The Gulf as a whole accounted for more than 25 per cent, a nine-year high.

美國能源部(US Department of Energy)的數據顯示，截至去年11月底，美國已經從沙特阿拉伯進口了超過4.5億桶石油，超過2009、2010或2011年的全年進口量。來自沙特阿拉伯的石油進口量在美國石油進口總量中所佔比重自2003年以來首次超過了15%。海灣地區作爲一個整體在美國石油進口中所佔比重超過了25%，創九年高點。

Other Gulf exporters are also seeing unusually strong US demand. By the end of November, Kuwait had shipped more oil to the US than in any year since 1998. Analysts are expecting annual figures to be released later this week to confirm the trend seen up to November.

美國對於海灣地區其他產油國的石油需求同樣異常強勁。截至去年11月底，科威特對美國的石油出口量超過了自1998年以來的任何一年。分析師預計，將於本週晚些時候公佈的2012年美國全年石油進口數據，將延續截至11月的趨勢。

New extraction techniques – most notably hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and horizontal drilling – have unlocked huge hydrocarbon resources in the US previously thought unrecoverable, raising expectations that over time US dependence on Middle East oil will drop.

水力壓裂法（hydraulic fracturing，簡稱fracking）以及水平鑽井(horizontal drilling)等新型採掘技術的問世，使得此前認爲無法開採的美國國內碳氫化合物資源變得可以開發。這提高了各方的期望，認爲美國對中東石油的依賴度將逐漸下降。

These developments triggered debate about the long-term commitment of Washington to security in the Gulf, where the US Fifth Fleet has operated since 1995.

這些新發展引發了圍繞美國保障海灣地區安全的長期承諾的辯論，自1995年起美國第五艦隊(US Fifth Fleet)就一直駐紮在海灣地區。