埃克森美孚與俄合作勘探油氣資源
MOSCOW — Exxon Mobil, which is assisting a Russian state energy company in exploring the Arctic Ocean for oil and natural gas, took a pivotal step to further this project over the weekend.
莫斯科——正在協助一家俄羅斯國有能源企業進行北冰洋石油和天然氣勘探的埃克森美孚(Exxon Mobil)，上週末邁出了推進這一合作計劃的關鍵一步。A drilling rig to be operated by Exxon set sail from Norway on Saturday, two days after the downing of a passenger airliner in Ukraine led to mounting pressure in the United States and Europe for new sanctions against Russia. Those sanctions could target the country’s important energy industry.
埃克森的一個鑽臺於週六離開挪威港口，就在兩天前，一架民航客機在烏克蘭被擊落，美國和歐洲面臨着對俄羅斯實施新一輪制裁的壓力。這些制裁可能會針對俄羅斯倚重的能源產業。For the Russian oil industry, much is riding on this summer’s prospecting mission to the Kara Sea, the body of water between the northern coast of European Russia and the Novaya Zemlya island chain. Russia depends on petroleum for about 60 percent of its export revenue, and for geopolitical clout, while on-land fields in Siberia are in decline.
對俄羅斯石油業而言，今夏在喀拉海的勘探任務意義重大，那塊水域位於歐洲俄羅斯北海岸和新地島鏈之間。俄羅斯的出口收入有約60%來自石油，地緣政治影響力也有賴於此，而西伯利亞的陸地油田在走下坡路。
Policies here are also important for world oil supplies, as Russia now pumps more oil than Saudi Arabia. Yet the domestic industry here relies on Western technical aid for offshore drilling, delivered through joint venture partnerships such as the Exxon agreement.
這裏的政策對全球石油供應也是極爲緊要的，俄羅斯的開採量現在已經超過沙特阿拉伯。然而在近海鑽井方面，該國石油業依賴西方的技術協助，因此需要和埃克森這樣的公司建立聯營合作關係。The drilling rig operated by Exxon and Rosneft, called the West Alpha, left the Norwegian port of Olen on Saturday, and by Tuesday was sailing north off the coast of Norway, public maritime records show.
埃克森和俄羅斯石油公司（Rosneft，簡稱俄油）運營的鑽臺名爲“西阿爾法”(West Alpha)，它於週六離開挪威奧倫港，從公開的海事記錄來看，到週二已經航行至挪威北海岸。Rosneft confirmed in a statement that the rig was en route. Exxon’s spokesman, Alan Jeffers, issued a statement saying only that the company is “evaluating the impact of the sanctions.”
俄油在一個聲明中證實鑽井已在路上。埃克森發言人艾倫·傑弗斯(Alan Jeffers)發表聲明，稱公司“正在評估制裁的影響”。On Tuesday, European foreign ministers met in Brussels to consider new sanctions against Russia. David Cameron, the British leader, told Parliament on Monday that “Russia cannot expect to continue enjoying access to European markets, European capital, European knowledge and technical expertise while she fuels conflict in one of Europe’s neighbors.”
週二，歐洲外長在布魯塞爾會面，考慮對俄羅斯的新制裁。英國領導人戴維·卡梅倫(David Cameron)週一對英國議會說，“不能讓俄羅斯一邊在一個歐洲鄰國滋養衝突，一邊還繼續坐享歐洲市場、歐洲資本、歐洲知識和專業技能。”The United States last Wednesday limited Rosneft’s long-term borrowing in a Ukraine-related sanction, though Exxon’s joint venture was not directly affected. The next day, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed, killing 298 people.
在上週三公佈的一項和烏克蘭相關的制裁中，美國限制了俄油的長期貸款，不過埃克森的聯營項目並沒有受到直接影響。第二天，馬來西亞航空公司(Malaysia Airlines)的MH17航班墜毀，298人喪生。The drilling expedition, including a rig and support ships, was choreographed for the summer months, when the Kara Sea is free of ice, ruling out any delays.
這隻鑽探隊伍包括了一座鑽臺和一些支援船隻，計劃在夏季的幾個月裏執行任務，這段時間喀拉海上沒有冰，從而避免了可能的延誤。Initially, attention on the joint venture fell on environmental risks. Russia last fall detained a Greenpeace vessel and its crew of activists protesting another Russian rig in the far north. If oil were spilled in the winter, cleanup would take place in the total darkness that engulfs the region during those months.
這個聯營項目一開始受到關注是由於環境風險。去年秋天，俄羅斯扣留了一艘綠色和平組織(Greenpeace)的船隻，以及乘該船前來抗議北方極地另一座俄羅斯鑽臺的活動人士。如果石油在冬天發生泄露，清理工作就要在那幾個月的一片漆黑中進行。For Exxon, the deal, which was reached in 2011, offers access to the Arctic in the Russian-controlled areas of the ocean, as drilling in the American and Canadian far north remains bogged down in regulation and lawsuits. Shell has also played down the commercial prospects there.
雙方的合作是2011年敲定的，埃克森藉此可以進入北冰洋中俄羅斯控制的海域，而公司在美國和加拿大以北的極地開採，至今仍受制於政府管制和官司糾紛。殼牌(Shell)也已經降低了對那裏的商業前景預期。Over all, the stakes are high for the petroleum industry in the Arctic. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds one-fifth of the world’s undiscovered, recoverable oil and natural gas, much of it in the ocean’s Russian sector.
總的來說，北極的石油產業存在巨大利益。美國地質調查局(United States Geological Survey)估計，北極蘊藏着全世界五分之一的未發現、可開採石油和天然氣，其中有許多就在俄羅斯那部分區域內。This summer, Exxon and Rosneft plan to drill one exploration well in the Kara Sea. The companies made an initial commitment to invest $3.2 billion in the exploration phase of the venture, which included earlier seismic exploration.
埃克森和俄油計劃今年夏天在喀拉海鑽一個勘探井。在該項目的勘探階段，兩家公司共投入了32億美元，其中也包括了更早進行的地震探測。It is unclear how or if Exxon could recoup these costs if sanctions on Rosneft are broadened. Exxon’s chief executive, Rex W. Tillerson, has publicly objected to further sanctions. Other oil companies including BP of Britain, Statoil of Norway and Total of France have cut new deals with Russian companies or pressed ahead with negotiations in spite of the risk of additional sanctions.
目前尚不清楚，一旦俄油受到了更大力度的制裁，埃克森如何收回這些成本。埃克森首席執行官雷克斯·W·蒂勒森(Rex W. Tillerson)已經公開表示反對進一步制裁。儘管存在加重製裁的風險，包括英國BP、挪威國家石油公司(Statoil)和法國道達爾(Total)在內的其他油企，仍然在和俄羅斯企業簽訂新協議，或繼續相關的談判。
