沙特在重要石油市场份额降低 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.

在沙特销售原油的半数以上最重要国家里，过去三年里沙特的市场份额都有所降低，即便该国把原油产量提高到创纪录水平。

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

在被沙特视为具有战略重要性的贸易伙伴国的市场上，俄罗斯和伊拉克等产油国正给沙特带来压力。

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.

海关数据显示，从2013年至2015年，世界最大石油出口国在最重要的15个市场中的9个市场（其中包括中国、南非和美国）被对手夺走了份额。

“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.”

“在这一环境下，沙特在原油出口上遇到了巨大的困难，”花旗集团(Citigroup)分析师艾德•摩尔斯(Ed Morse)说，“其竞争对手正以非常咄咄逼人的方式打入一个非常拥挤的市场。”

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，在原油供应过剩引发油价崩盘的背景下，沙特制定了维护本国原油市场份额的目标。该国主导欧佩克(Opec)做出了一个具有里程碑意义的决定，即不通过减产来支持油价。但能源咨询公司FGE汇编的进口数据表明，去年，沙特的策略在一些关键的客户国家遭遇了挫折。

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.

其他数据显示，跟2014年相比，2015年沙特的市场份额出现有限增加，但去年的数字低于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.

这表明，在油价走低和也门战争造成财务损失之际，沙特的这一策略存在诸多危险。去年12月，沙特宣布将大幅削减支出，并打算在今年利用债券市场筹集资金。

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.

作为世界油价基准的布伦特原油(Brent crude)从2014年年中的115美元/桶下跌至昨日的39.88美元/桶。今年1月，布伦特原油曾大跌至不到30美元/桶的13年低点。

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数据显示，由于中国从俄罗斯增加石油进口，沙特在中国石油进口市场的份额从2013年的逾19%下跌至2015年的近15%。同期，由于尼日利亚和安哥拉提高了发货量，沙特在南非石油进口市场的份额从近53%降到22%。沙特在美国石油进口市场的份额从17%下跌到近14%。在韩国、泰国、台湾和部分欧洲国家，沙特的份额也有所降低。

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.

沙特仍是对包括中国在内的许多国家出口原油最多的国家，在2013年至2015年间，还提高了在巴西、印度和日本市场的份额。