海上钻井市场再次蓬勃发展

美国的钻井活动增长正在趋于平稳

在更强的需求下，海上钻井平台的日租金正在飙升

作为欧洲能源危机的直接结果，市场对FSRU的需求在2022年也已经起飞

据油价网12月26日报道，今年，即使在美国石油钻机增长趋于平稳的情况下，海外钻井对海上钻机的需求也在飙升。根据贝克休斯公司的数据，现在有622个石油钻机在美国运行，低于2020年3月疫情开始时的683个，与6周前相比没有变化。这导致钻井日租金飙升，钻井承包商的股票飙升，如Transocean Ltd.的股价今年以来上涨了49.7%；又如Valaris Ltd.的股价已经飙升了75.1%，而Noble Corp. Plc股价上涨了45.1%。与此形成鲜明对比的是，市场对海上钻井平台的需求十分火爆，日租金最近突破40万美元，高于6月份的30万美元和两年前的不到20万美元。

Evercore的高级董事总经理James West概述了这些发展的三个关键原因。

美国石油巨头埃克森美孚、雪佛龙和康菲石油已经在该国获得了他们所需的钻机，而他们的私人竞争对手由于预算限制和油价下跌，对市场扩张没有表现出兴趣。这些石油巨头也在将更多的钻井转移到海上和海外，因为美国的页岩油机会现在很有限，所有的优质油田都已经被占用。国家石油公司（NOCs），包括沙特阿拉伯、阿布扎比和科威特的国家石油公司，目前正在扩大海上生产，因为他们希望从石油巨头手中夺回市场份额，而欧美石油巨头最近更注重以股息和股票回购的形式向股东返还多余的现金，而不是扩大生产。

能源危机引发了对浮式液化天然气终端的疯狂追逐

在天然气领域，今年对液化天然气浮式储存和再气化装置（LNG-FSRU）的需求急剧增加，由于供应商逐步削减管道天然气流量，欧洲面临能源供应紧张的局面。

目前对液化天然气进口的需求加剧，因为重新开启其天然气龙头的前景已经破灭。这迫使欧洲几十个国家转向FSRU或浮式液化天然气终端，这基本上是移动终端，卸下超冷燃料并将其输送到陆上网络。

目前，全球有48艘FSRU在运行，能源咨询机构雷斯塔能源透露，除了6艘之外，其他都被锁定为定期租约。

根据能源智囊团Ember的说法，欧盟已经为多达19个新的FSRU项目排定了计划，估计成本为95亿欧元。

最大的受益者是韩国造船业，FSRU是他们的主要收入来源。韩国在这一领域是绝对的世界领导者。据当地媒体报道，到目前为止，韩国造船厂的订单量同比增长了46%。政府的目标是，到2030年，韩国将占据75%的市场份额。

这样的安排再好不过了。由于这些船只的供应如此紧张，租借到德国的费用同比增加了一倍，达到每天20万美元。

“去年FSRU过剩，今年则出现了赤字。到目前为止，市场上有足够的船舶，但由于现在大多数船舶都已被占用，因此变得更具挑战性。”奥斯陆的船舶经纪公司Fearnley LNG的全球负责人Per Christian Fett告诉彭博社。

总部位于得克萨斯州的Excelerate Energy Inc.正在向欧洲发送三艘FSRU，其总吞吐能力可进口150亿立方米天然气，约占2021年进口管道气和LNG的10%。欧洲对这些码头的需求非常强烈，这可能会使新兴国家使用FSRU满足自身需求的成本降低。雷斯塔能源的高级分析师Kaushal Ramesh说：“在现有租约条款允许的情况下，世界其他地区未被充分利用的设施可能被转移到欧洲，这种风险是真实的。”

荷兰在一个新的码头上首次交付了液化天然气，推动了欧洲摆脱产能大国天然气的努力。此前，荷兰只能通过鹿特丹进口液化天然气；然而，随着停泊在埃姆沙文的两艘FSRU——Golar Igloo和Eemshaven LNG的投产，这种情况已经改变。FSRU项目在创纪录的时间内完成。

荷兰气候和能源部长Rob Jetten宣称：“新的液化天然气终端的到来，不仅对荷兰，而且对整个欧洲来说都是重要的一步，以尽快完全淘汰对产能大国能源的依赖。FRSU为欧洲提供了最快速和最有效的方式，以结束对从产能大国引入大量管道天然气的依赖。”

曹海斌 编译自 油价网

The Offshore Drilling Market Is Booming Again

U.S. drilling activity growth is plateauing.

Day rates for offshore drilling rigs are soaring amid stronger demand.

Demand for FSRU’s has also taken off in 2022 as a direct result of the energy crisis in Europe.

Demand for offshore rigs for overseas drilling has soared this year even as U.S. oil-rig growth has plateaued. According to Baker Hughes, there are now 622 oil rigs operating in the U.S., down from the 683 in operation in March of 2020 at the onset of the pandemic and unchanged from six weeks ago. This has caused day rates to skyrocket and the stocks of drilling contractors to soar with Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) up 49.7% in the year-to-date; Valaris Ltd. (NYSE: VAL) has rocketed 75.1% while Noble Corp. Plc (NYSE: NE) has gained 45.1%. In sharp contrast, demand for offshore rigs is sizzling, with S&P Global reporting that day rates recently topped $400,000, up from $300,000 in June and less than $200,000 two years ago. 

James West, senior managing director at Evercore, has outlined three key reasons for these developments:

U.S. oil majors Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Chevron (NYSE: CVX) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) have already secured the rigs they need in the country while their private rivals are showing little appetite for expansion due to budget constraints and lower oil prices.

These oil majors are also moving more of their drilling offshore and overseas because U.S. shale opportunities are now limited with all prime acreage already taken up.

National oil companies (NOCs) including those in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait are currently expanding offshore production as they look to claw back market share from the majors who have lately been more focused on returning excess cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks rather than expanding production.

Energy Crisis Sparks Mad Dash For Floating LNG Terminals

In the natural gas sector, demand for LNG floating storage and regasification units (LNG-FSRUs) has increased sharply this year, with Europe facing an energy supply squeeze as the provider has progressively cut pipeline gas flows. 

Demand for LNG imports has intensified after the ruptures on the key Nord Stream pipeline system quashed any prospect of the bigger producer turning its gas taps back on. This has forced dozens of countries in Europe to turn to FSRUs or floating LNG terminals, which are essentially mobile terminals that unload the super-chilled fuel and pipe it into onshore networks.

Currently, there are 48 FSRUs in operation globally, with Rystad Energy revealing that all but six of them are locked into term charters. 

According to energy think-tank Ember, the EU has lined up plans for as many as 19 new FSRU projects at an estimated cost of €9.5bn. 

The biggest beneficiaries are Korean shipbuilding, for whom FSRUs are a major revenue-generator. Korea is the definitive world leader in this field. According to local media, Korean shipbuilders managed to book 46% more orders so far, YoY. And the government’s goal is for the country to grab 75% of the market share by 2030. 

The setup couldn’t be better. With the supply of these vessels so tight, the cost of charters into Germany has doubled year-on-year to $200,000 a day. 

“Last year there was a surplus of FSRUs and this year there is a deficit. Up until now there have been sufficient vessels in the market, but as most have now been taken, it’s becoming more challenging,” Per Christian Fett, the global head of LNG at shipbrokers Fearnley LNG in Oslo, has told Bloomberg.

Texas-based Excelerate Energy Inc. is sending three FSRUs to Europe with combined throughput capacity to import 15 billion cubic meters of gas, or about 10% of the pipeline and LNG imports from the bigger producer in 2021. Demand for the terminals in Europe is so strong that it could make it less affordable for emerging nations to use FSRUs for their own needs. “The risk is real that underutilized facilities in other regions of the world could be relocated to Europe, existing charter terms permitting,” Kaushal Ramesh, a senior analyst at consultant Rystad Energy, has said.

The Netherlands has taken its first delivery of LNG at a new terminal, boosting Europe’s efforts to wean itself off Russian gas. Previously, the Netherlands could only import LNG through Rotterdam; however, that has changed with the commissioning of two FSRUs, the Golar Igloo and Eemshaven LNG, moored in Eemshaven. The FSRU project was completed in record time Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. With the pair of floating ships now supplying gas to the landlocked Czech Republic and Germany.

“The arrival of the new LNG terminal is an important step not only for the Netherlands, but for the whole of Europe to completely phase out the dependence on energy from the bigger producer as quickly as possible,” Rob Jetten, Dutch minister for climate and energy, has declared. FRSUs offer the quickest and most efficient way for Europe to end its reliance on the pipelines that bring in large quantities of natural gas from the bigger producer .