因疫情封锁担忧超苏伊士运河中断 油价下跌

据路透社3月25日报道，因燃料需求担忧再度出现，同时新一轮冠状病毒大流行封锁限制，墨尔本油价下跌约2%。一艘巨型集装箱船搁浅，阻碍通过苏伊士运河的原油运输，导致一夜间涨幅调整。

格林尼治标准时间0139，布伦特(Brent)原油期货下跌1.14美元，跌幅1.8%，至每桶63.27美元，此前一夜上涨6%。

美国西德克萨斯中质原油(WTI)期货下跌1.27美元，跌幅2.1%，至每桶59.91美元，此前一夜攀升5.9%。

因担心欧洲疫情控制措施收紧和疫苗延迟阻碍燃料需求增长，本周早些时候价格曾下跌，但由于苏伊士运河搁浅的船只可能阻挡10艘载有1300万桶石油的油轮，周三大幅反转。

周三还有数据显示美国汽油需求改善，且炼油厂运行率回升，对市场有所帮助。

然而，尽管拖船在努力解救这艘苏伊士运河搁浅的货船，但这些支撑市场的因素是短暂的。

"尽管这些(苏伊士运河堵塞和美国需求)因素是存在的，但这并不能真正消除本周早些时候提出的需求担忧问题，"联邦银行大宗商品分析师Vivek Dhar表示。

"虽然焦点在欧洲，但我们在印度和巴西等地也有不断上升的COVID-19病例，这些发展中经济体对石油需求可持续增长确实至关重要。"

印度周三报告了其单日最高的新增感染和死亡人数，并表示发现了一种新的冠状病毒 "双重突变"变体。

四位OPEC+消息人士对路透社表示，鉴于持续存在的需求担忧和价格下跌，石油输出国组织及其联盟国(简称OPEC+)将在4月1日举行的会议上把目前的供应抑制措施延续到5月的预期日益升温。

沈韩晔 摘译自 路透社

原文如下：

Oil prices slide as coronavirus lockdown concerns outweigh Suez Canal disruptions

MELBOURNE Oil prices skidded around 2 percent as fuel demand concerns re-emerged alongside fresh coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, trimming overnight gains spurred by the grounding of a giant container ship blocking crude shipments through the Suez Canal.

Brent crude futures slid $1.14, or 1.8 per cent, to $63.27 a barrel at 0139 GMT, after jumping 6 per cent overnight.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped by $1.27, or 2.1 per cent, to $59.91 a barrel, after climbing 5.9 per cent overnight.

Prices had tumbled earlier in the week on worries about tighter pandemic curbs in Europe and vaccine delays stalling growth in demand for fuel, but sharply reversed on Wednesday with the grounded ship in the Suez Canal potentially blocking 10 tankers carrying 13 million barrels of oil.

The market was also helped on Wednesday by data showing U.S. gasoline demand improved and refinery run rates were picking up.

However, those factors supporting the market were short-lived, even as tugs struggled to free the stranded Suez Canal ship.

"As much as those (Suez blockage and U.S. demand) factors were there, it doesn't really erase the demand concerns questions that were asked earlier this week," said Commonwealth Bank commodities analyst Vivek Dhar.

"And while the focus was on Europe, we also have rising COVID-19 cases in places like India and Brazil, developing economies which are really critical to the story for sustainable oil demand growth."

India on Wednesday reported its highest one-day tally of new infections and deaths and said a new "double mutant" variant of the coronavirus had been found.

Given the persistent demand worries and falling prices, expectations are growing that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, together called OPEC+, will roll over their current supply curbs into May at a meeting scheduled for April 1, four OPEC+ sources told Reuters.