石油设备网讯 据首尔普氏能源资讯6月1日消息，近几个月来，韩国炼油商逐渐将注意力转移到远东俄罗斯获取原油原料，两家公司可能会加大对西班牙石油公司(ESPO)混合原油的采购，因为中等甜度的原油可能会弥补伊朗石油进口量的下降。
韩国国家石油公司(Korea National Oil Corp.)的最新数据显示，4月份韩国从俄罗斯进口的原油同比增长41%，至453万桶。
KNOC的一位官员说，今年前4个月，俄罗斯的原油发货量同比增长37.7%，至1,651万桶，这一增长还受到ESPO Blend价格下跌的推动。
KNOC的数据显示，作为亚洲第四大能源消费国，俄罗斯在2018年第一季度的原油进口量为1198万桶，高于2017年第四季度的1095万桶进口量和去年第三季度的903万桶进口量。
由于美国即将对油轮运输实施制裁，预计韩国今年晚些时候从伊朗进口的原油和凝析油将进一步减少。
为了填补这一缺口，韩国终端用户增加了从澳大利亚和非洲的凝析油采购，同时提高了从俄罗斯、美国和哈萨克斯坦等其他来源进口轻质和中低质原油的数量。
“除了南帕尔斯冷凝物外，韩国还购买了伊朗轻质原油……”ESPO Blend可以作为替代的原料，考虑到今年更短的交付距离和较弱的现货差异，它也非常经济，”一家韩国炼油商的交易经理说。
SK Incheon Petrochem公司运营着275,000桶/日的CDUs和100,000桶/日的凝析油分离器，是韩国第一季度最大的俄罗斯原油进口国，因为该公司一直在努力填补伊朗凝析油进口量下降所留下的缺口。
今年1月至4月，SK Incheon从俄罗斯进口了634万桶原油，而去年同期进口量为零。在头四个月，SK Incheon的伊朗原油进口量从去年同期的1626万桶降至588万桶，减少了一半以上。
“我们一直在减少来自伊朗的原油和凝析油，同时增加来自俄罗斯等其他来源的轻质低硫原油，”该公司一名官员表示。
韩国第二大炼油商GS Caltex运营着一家日产量为79万桶的炼油厂，今年1至4月，该公司从上年同期的215万桶增加到453万桶，比上年同期增加了一倍多。
胡晶晶摘译自普氏能源资讯
原文如下
South Korean refiners have been gradually shifting focus to Far East Russia for crude oil feedstock in recent months, and the companies could step up purchases of ESPO Blend crude as the medium sweet grade could make up for the declining Iranian oil intake.
South Korea's crude imports from Russia jumped 41% year on year to 4.53 million barrels in April, latest data from Korea National Oil Corp. showed.
For the first four months, crude shipments from Russia rose 37.7% year on year to 16.51 million barrels, with the rise also driven by lower prices of ESPO Blend, a KNOC official said.
On a quarterly basis, Asia's fourth biggest energy consumer received 11.98 million barrels of Russian crude in Q1 2018, up from 10.95 million barrels imported during Q4 2017 and 9.03 million barrels received in Q3 last year, the KNOC data showed.
South Korea's imports of Iranian crude and condensate are expected to further decline later this year, due to the impact of pending US sanctions on tanker transport.
In order to fill the gap, South Korean end-users have increased condensate purchases from Australia and Africa, while raising light and medium sweet crude imports from alternative sources such as Russia, the US and Kazakhstan.
"Apart from South Pars condensate, South Korea also buys Iranian Light crude ... ESPO Blend can serve as an alternative feedstock to that, quite economical too considering the much shorter delivery distance and weak spot differentials this year," a trading manager at a South Korean refiner said.
SK Incheon Petrochem that runs 275,000 b/d CDUs and a 100,000 b/d condensate splitter was South Korea's biggest importer of Russian crude in Q1, as it has been trying to fill the gap left by declines in Iranian condensate imports.
Over January-April, SK Incheon imported 6.34 million barrels from Russia, compared with no volume in the same period last year. For the first four months, SK Incheon's imports of Iranian crude more than halved to 5.88 million barrels, from 16.26 million barrels in the year-ago period.
"We have been reducing crude and condensate shipments from Iran, while increasing light sweet crude from alternative sources, such as Russia," a company official said.
South Korea's second-biggest refiner GS Caltex, which operates a 790,000 b/d refinery, more than doubled its intake of Russian crude to 4.53 million barrels over January-April, from 2.15 million barrels a year earlier.
