美国陆上钻井作业出现14年来最大跌幅

据彭博社休斯顿报道，油价低于零的余波时下正在以前所未见速度加速美国石油勘探作业的骤降。

根据贝克休斯公司日前公布的最新统计数据，美国陆上油田的钻井作业出现了14年来的最大跌幅。就在几天前，WTI价格跌至每桶-40.32美元，这是原油价格迄今为止前所未闻的暴跌。

自3月中旬以来，由于全球各地燃料需求下降和疫情造成的金融危机愈演愈烈，美国已有45%的在用钻机处于闲置状态，这是美国有史以来最严重的连续6周在用钻机数的减少。就在去年，这个行业还无法以足够快的速度找到工人或设备来满足勘探作业的需求。由于勘探企业取消更多合同，放弃一些项目以等待油价崩盘结束，这一行业遭受的全面破坏可能会进一步恶化。

贝克休斯公司公布的统计数据显示，美国钻探公司在4月24日当周，闲置了60部在用钻机，美国全国范围内在用的钻机数量减少到了378部。按百分比计算，4月24日当周在用钻机数减少比例是自2006年2月以来最糟糕的。

位于西德克萨斯州和新墨西哥州的二叠纪盆地当周在用钻机减少数占美国总减少数的62%，这对该行业来说是个不祥之兆，因为该地区多年来一直是美国仅有的几个仍在盈利的地区之一。

德克萨斯州南部、北达科他州、怀俄明州、科罗拉多州和俄克拉荷马州的页岩勘探也有所下降。

贝克休斯公司的统计数据公布时，美国基准原油期货交易价格约为每桶17美元。就在今年1月的第二周，油价还在每桶65美元以上。

李峻 编译自 彭博社

原文如下：

Onshore drilling in the U.S. drops the most in 14 years

The fallout from sub-zero oil prices is accelerating the slump in U.S. crude exploration to a pace never seen before.

Drilling in onshore American fields fell the most in 14 years this week, according to data released just days after benchmark New York-traded crude futures sank to minus $40.32 a barrel in a heretofore unheard of crash.

As the financial wreckage piles up from cratering fuel demand and Covid-19 lockdowns around the world, drillers have idled 45% of U.S. oil rigs since mid March -- the worst-ever six-week decline. The wholesale devastation of a sector that as recently as last year couldn’t find workers or equipment fast enough to meet demand promises to worsen as explorers cancel more contracts and abandon projects to wait out the rout.

Drillers idled 60 rigs this week, shrinking the active nationwide fleet to 378 machines, according to data from Baker Hughes Co. on Friday. On a percentage basis, this week’s decline was the worst since February 2006.

The Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico accounted for 62% of this week’s shutdowns, an ominous signal for the industry because that region has for many years been one of the only areas where production still turned a profit.

Exploration also declined in shale formations in South Texas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma.

Benchmark U.S. crude futures were trading around $17 a barrel when the Baker Hughes tally was released. As recently as the second week of January, they were above $65.