由于沙特阿拉伯和其他中東產油國的供應減少，含硫原油價格大幅上漲

全球含硫原油供應減少導致買家尋求替代來源，進一步推高了該產品價格

全球含硫原油價格上漲的例子包括美國瑪爾斯含硫原油、西加拿大精選原油(WCS)和挪威約翰斯維爾德魯普原油，這些含硫原油都因供應減少而價格上漲

據油價網2023年7月12日報道，沙特阿拉伯及歐佩克+成員國的減產可能沒有提振國際原油期貨價格，但近幾周，全球最大原油出口國供應減少，導致含硫原油價格上漲。

6月初，歐佩克+產油國決定將目前的減產維持到2024年底，而歐佩克最大的產油國沙特阿拉伯表示，將在7月份自愿將原油日產量減少100萬桶至900萬桶左右。上周，沙特阿拉伯又表示，將把單方面每天減產100萬桶原油產量的協議延長至8月份，并上調部分等級原油價格，以便8月裝船運往亞洲。

沙特阿拉伯和其他中東產油國從5月份開始減產，已經對中質含硫酸原油和重質原油供應產生了巨大影響，價格正在上漲。相比之下，布倫特等輕質原油以及支撐布倫特基準的其他等級原油的供應量一直較高。換句話說，國際基準布倫特原油價格并沒有反映出含硫原油的緊張程度，盡管歐佩克+和沙特阿拉伯都在減產，但到目前為止，布倫特原油價格仍未能突破每桶80美元。

隨著沙特和其他中東含硫原油供應減少，買家開始在世界其他地區尋找替代品，這推高了含硫原油的價格。

例如，美國、加拿大和北海的含硫原油價格已經出現反彈。上周末，美國瑪爾斯含硫原油在庫欣中心的交易價格較美國其他品種原油期貨價格每桶溢價2美元，據路透社估計，這是三年來瑪爾斯原油期貨的最高溢價。瑪爾斯原油的交易價格也高于輕質低硫原油WTI米德蘭原油，出現了罕見的價格逆轉。

在挪威，約翰斯維爾德魯普大型海上油田生產的中質含硫原油上周五較布倫特原油溢價達到每桶3.50美元。交易商告訴彭博新聞社記者，沙特阿拉伯石油價格的上漲和沙特阿拉伯原油供應的減少使約翰斯維爾德魯普原油價格上漲。由于挪威原油的含硫量較高，約翰斯維爾德魯普原油的交易價格通常低于布倫特原油到期價格。6個月前，約翰斯維爾德魯普原油的交易價格較布倫特原油價格每桶低6美元。

李峻 譯自 油價網

原文如下：

Sour Crude Oil Prices Skyrocket As Saudi Arabia Tightens Supply

·     Due to reduced supply from Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern producers, sour crude oil prices have seen a significant surge.

·     This reduced supply has led to buyers seeking alternative sources, further driving up the price of sour crude oils globally.

·     Examples of this increase include U.S. Mars sour crude, Canadian Western Canada Select (WCS), and Norwegian Johan Sverdrup crude, all experiencing elevated prices due to the supply cut.

Saudi Arabia and its fellow OPEC+ producers may not have lifted the international crude oil futures with their production cuts, but the reduced supply from the world’s top crude exporter has sent the prices of sour crudes rallying in recent weeks.  

In early June, the OPEC+ producers decided to keep the current cuts until the end of 2024, while OPEC’s top producer, Saudi Arabia, said it would voluntarily reduce its production by 1 million bpd in July to around 9 million bpd. Last week, Saudi Arabia said it would extend its unilateral 1 million bpd production cut into August and raised the prices of some of its grades – all of which are sour – for loading for Asia in August. 

The cuts from Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern producers, which began in May, have already had an outsized impact on the medium-sour and heavy supply, and prices are rallying. In contrast, the availability of lighter crude, such as Brent and other grades underpinning the Brent benchmark, has been higher. In other words, the physical tightness in sour crude grades hasn’t been reflected in the international Brent Crude benchmark, which – despite all the cuts from OPEC+ and Saudi Arabia – has failed to move above $80 per barrel so far. 

With a lower supply of Saudi and other Middle Eastern sour crudes, buyers are looking for alternatives in other parts of the world, driving up sour crude prices. 

For example, U.S., Canadian, and North Sea sour grades have seen prices rallying. The U.S. Mars sour crude traded at the end of last week at a $2 per barrel premium to U.S. crude futures at the Cushing hub—the highest Mars premium in three years, per Reuters estimates. Mars is also trading at a premium to WTI Midland, a light sweet crude, in a rare pricing reversal.  

In Canada, the heavy Western Canada Select (WCS) from Alberta has narrowed the discount to the WTI benchmark to $10 per barrel, the narrowest discount since Alberta mandated production cuts in 2019.

In Norway, the medium sour Johan Sverdrup crude from the massive oilfield of the same name traded on Friday at a record-high premium over Dated Brent, at $3.50 per barrel. The Saudi price hike and the reduced supply of Saudi crudes have sent Johan Sverdrup prices rallying, traders told Bloomberg. Johan Sverdrup typically trades at a discount to Dated Brent due to the higher sulfur content of the Norwegian grade. Six months ago, Johan Sverdrup traded at a $6 per barrel discount to Dated Brent.