沙特 俄羅斯同意減產石油至明年3月

Oil jumped after Saudi Arabia and Russia said they backed extending an Opec-led agreement to cut output until March 2018, intensifying their push to shrink excess inventories that have kept a ceiling on prices.

油價昨日躍升，此前沙特阿拉伯和俄羅斯表示，它們支持把歐佩克(OPEC)主導的減產協議延期至2018年3月，此舉強化了產油國縮減過剩庫存的努力，過多的庫存阻止了油價上漲。

Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih and his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak pledged yesterday to do “whatever it takes” to reduce global oil stockpiles and balance the market.

沙特能源部長哈立德?法利赫(Khalid al-Falih)和俄羅斯能源部長亞歷山大?諾瓦克(Alexander Novak)昨日承諾“採取一切必要行動”減少全球石油過剩庫存，使市場恢復平衡。

Output from the US and other countries outside the cartel has surpassed Opec’s expectations and offset drastic supply curbs from some of the world’s biggest producers aimed at ending the worst oil crash in a generation.

這個卡特爾以外的一些產油國（包括美國）近來石油產量超出了歐佩克的預期，抵消了世界上一些最大產油國爲結束一代人以來最嚴重的油價崩盤所作出的大幅供應限制。

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter and de facto Opec leader, and Russia, the largest producer, have been forced into taking further action after prices erased all their gains since the output cut deal came into effect in January.

沙特是世界上最大的石油出口國和歐佩克事實上的領導者，而俄羅斯是世界最大產油國。今年1月份減產協議生效後，油價一度上漲，但隨後回落，抹去全部漲幅，迫使沙特和俄羅斯採取進一步行動。

It was expected that Opec and other producers such as Russia would extend the agreement, reached late last year, until the end of 2017. But the move to prolong the deal until next March surprised market analysts.

人們曾預計，歐佩克和俄羅斯等其他產油國將把去年末達成的減產協議延長至2017年底。延長減產協議至明年3月的舉動讓市場分析師們意外。

Prices briefly rose more than 3 per cent after a joint statement was released from the ministers, who had met in Beijing and discussed oil output policy.

沙特和俄羅斯能源部長在北京會晤並討論石油產量政策後，發表了一份聯合聲明，油價隨即一度上漲3%以上。

Brent crude, the global benchmark, was up $1.31 to $52.15 a barrel in London. West Texas Intermediate, the US marker, rallied $1.35 to $49.19 a barrel.

全球基準布倫特原油(Brent)在倫敦一度上漲1.31美元，至每桶52.15美元。美國基準西德克薩斯中質原油(WTI)一度上漲1.35美元，至每桶49.19美元。

Both energy ministers said they were committed to “stabilising the global oil market, reducing volatility, and ensuring the balancing of supply and demand in the near and long term”.

兩國能源部長表示，他們致力於“穩定全球石油市場，減少波動，確保近期乃至長期的供需平衡”。

They recommended that the next round of reductions should be on the same terms as the first deal, when producer nations agreed to cut almost 1.8m barrels a day for the first six months of 2017.

他們建議，下一輪減產的條款應該與初始協議相同，按照初始協議，產油國同意在2017年頭六個月每天削減近180萬桶產量。

Opec ministers are due to meet in Vienna later this month to discuss the extension of output curbs, seeking to reach agreement among all members inside and outside the cartel.

歐佩克各國將於本月晚些時候在維也納舉行部長級會議，討論延長產量限制，尋求讓這個卡特爾內外的所有產油國達成協議。

A final decision on the nine-month extension will be made at the May 25 meeting. The ministers from Saudi Arabia and Russia were optimistic that “a wider circle of countries” outside the current group would join in implementing the cuts.

定於5月25日舉行的此次會議，將對爲期九個月的減產延期作出最後決定。沙特和俄羅斯能源部長樂觀地認爲，現有參與國家以外的“更大一圈國家”將加入減產行列。