US oil futures slipped to their lowest price since the financial crisis as a refinery glitch threatened to add to a persistent glut of crude.
由于一起炼油厂故障可能会增加对原油的持久性过剩状况，美国石油期货价格下滑至金融危机以来的最低水平。
Nymex September West Texas Intermediate crude dropped below $42 a barrel late on Thursday — a price last seen in 2009 — before settling down 2.5 per cent at $42.23.
周四晚些时候，纽约商品交易所(Nymex)9月交货的西德克萨斯中质原油(West Texas Intermediate，WTI)期货价格曾一度跌至每桶42美元以下——该类型期货上次出现这一价格还是在2009年。之后，该期货价格的跌幅收窄至2.5%，收于每桶42.23美元。
As many analysts had predicted, the oil market has resumed a lower path as the end of an active US summer “driving season” nears and producers from North America to member countries in the Opec cartel keep pumping.
正如许多分析师预计的，由于美国夏季“开车季”的需求活跃时节临近尾声，以及从北美到欧佩克(Opec)成员国的各石油生产国继续开工，石油市场会重返价格较低的轨道。
But the market in the US — the world’s biggest oil consumer — faced extra pressure after a BP-owned refinery suffered problems that will diminish its thirst for crude.
不过，作为全球最大石油消费国，美国市场还面临着一个额外压力：英国石油公司(BP)旗下一个炼油厂遭遇了故障，这会降低美国对原油的需求。
On Wednesday, BP acknowledged that the largest of Whiting’s three crude units, which processes about 240,000 barrels a day, had been down since Saturday for unscheduled repair work. The refinery draws heavy crude from Canada as well as Cushing, Oklahoma, the tank hub that is also the delivery point for the WTI futures contract.
周三，英国石油公司承认，该公司在怀亭(Whiting)的三个原油处理装置中最大的一个，已从周六开始因突发的维修工作而关闭。该装置的日处理能力约为24万桶。该炼油厂除了接收来自加拿大的重质原油，还接收来自俄克拉荷马州库辛(Cushing)的原油。后者是一个原油的集散地，还是WTI石油期货合同的交货地点。
Market speculation suggests it could be out for more than a month, possibly more than two.
市场上有人猜测，该炼油厂可能会停工逾一个月，也许会在两个月以上。
Reuters reported on Thursday afternoon that leaks had been found in piping at the plant, citing people familiar with the refinery’s operations. Traders said that could be a complex fix for the company.
今年夏天，美国的汽车司机充分利用了燃料价格降低带来的好处，汽油消费量接近十年前的稳健水平。不过，全球石油供应量却在以被国际能源署(IEA)称为“极快速度”的速度增长，继续超过消费量。
Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates consultancy, said: “The bottom line is that every day the Whiting crude unit is down adds 240,000 b/d of supply into the midcontinent market . . . That unwanted crude is going to build inventories in Canada as well as the midcontinent. Some of it is going to be placed in storage in Cushing.” |
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