埃克森美孚与俄合作勘探油气资源

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——正在协助一家俄罗斯国有能源企业进行北冰洋石油和天然气勘探的埃克森美孚(Exxon Mobil)，上周末迈出了推进这一合作计划的关键一步。

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.

埃克森的一个钻台于周六离开挪威港口，就在两天前，一架民航客机在乌克兰被击落，美国和欧洲面临着对俄罗斯实施新一轮制裁的压力。这些制裁可能会针对俄罗斯倚重的能源产业。

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.

对俄罗斯石油业而言，今夏在喀拉海的勘探任务意义重大，那块水域位于欧洲俄罗斯北海岸和新地岛链之间。俄罗斯的出口收入有约60%来自石油，地缘政治影响力也有赖于此，而西伯利亚的陆地油田在走下坡路。

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.

这里的政策对全球石油供应也是极为紧要的，俄罗斯的开采量现在已经超过沙特阿拉伯。然而在近海钻井方面，该国石油业依赖西方的技术协助，因此需要和埃克森这样的公司建立联营合作关系。

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.

埃克森和俄罗斯石油公司（Rosneft，简称俄油）运营的钻台名为“西阿尔法”(West Alpha)，它于周六离开挪威奥伦港，从公开的海事记录来看，到周二已经航行至挪威北海岸。

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.”

俄油在一个声明中证实钻井已在路上。埃克森发言人艾伦·杰弗斯(Alan Jeffers)发表声明，称公司“正在评估制裁的影响”。

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.”

周二，欧洲外长在布鲁塞尔会面，考虑对俄罗斯的新制裁。英国领导人戴维·卡梅伦(David Cameron)周一对英国议会说，“不能让俄罗斯一边在一个欧洲邻国滋养冲突，一边还继续坐享欧洲市场、欧洲资本、欧洲知识和专业技能。”

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.

在上周三公布的一项和乌克兰相关的制裁中，美国限制了俄油的长期贷款，不过埃克森的联营项目并没有受到直接影响。第二天，马来西亚航空公司(Malaysia Airlines)的MH17航班坠毁，298人丧生。

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.

这只钻探队伍包括了一座钻台和一些支援船只，计划在夏季的几个月里执行任务，这段时间喀拉海上没有冰，从而避免了可能的延误。

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.

这个联营项目一开始受到关注是由于环境风险。去年秋天，俄罗斯扣留了一艘绿色和平组织(Greenpeace)的船只，以及乘该船前来抗议北方极地另一座俄罗斯钻台的活动人士。如果石油在冬天发生泄露，清理工作就要在那几个月的一片漆黑中进行。

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.

双方的合作是2011年敲定的，埃克森藉此可以进入北冰洋中俄罗斯控制的海域，而公司在美国和加拿大以北的极地开采，至今仍受制于政府管制和官司纠纷。壳牌(Shell)也已经降低了对那里的商业前景预期。

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.

总的来说，北极的石油产业存在巨大利益。美国地质调查局(United States Geological Survey)估计，北极蕴藏着全世界五分之一的未发现、可开采石油和天然气，其中有许多就在俄罗斯那部分区域内。

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.

埃克森和俄油计划今年夏天在喀拉海钻一个勘探井。在该项目的勘探阶段，两家公司共投入了32亿美元，其中也包括了更早进行的地震探测。

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，埃克森如何收回这些成本。埃克森首席执行官雷克斯·W·蒂勒森(Rex W. Tillerson)已经公开表示反对进一步制裁。尽管存在加重制裁的风险，包括英国BP、挪威国家石油公司(Statoil)和法国道达尔(Total)在内的其他油企，仍然在和俄罗斯企业签订新协议，或继续相关的谈判。