據彭博新聞社2023年5月4日報道，美國原油已經對世界上最重要的石油基準產生了深遠的影響，在其被納入衡量標準后有效地設定了價格。

5月2日，源自西得克薩斯頁巖的WTI米德蘭原油加入了即期布倫特原油基準，以改進這個用于確定全球逾三分之二原油價格的指標。到目前為止，這種整合被證明是成功的。

英國石油公司(bp)一直在《全球大宗商品洞察》運營的一個定價窗口上以較低的水平提供6月初的等級原油。由于構成WTI基準的其他5種等級原油的價格要高得多，因此WTI米德蘭原油實際上成為關鍵的價格制定者。

能源資訊機構在回復有關問題的電子郵件中表示：“一旦將運費調整為離岸價格，報價就具有競爭力，并有助于在評估曲線的那段時間內確定即期布倫特原油。”

WTI米德蘭原油被納入即期布倫特原油基準——傳統(tǒng)上由北海布倫特原油、福蒂斯原油、奧塞伯格原油、埃科菲斯克原油和特羅爾原油組成的定價籃子——是該指標幾十年來最重大的調整。但交易商沒有預料到得克薩斯原油會這么快就設定基準，因為WTI米德蘭原油的質量與埃科菲斯克原油相似，但優(yōu)于通常的價格制定者福蒂斯原油。

能源資訊機構周三評估，6月初美國原油每桶溢價約33美分。這比福蒂斯原油價格每桶低30美分。

自去年爆發(fā)地緣政治沖突以來，歐洲煉油廠增加了對美國原油的購買，主要是WTI米德蘭原油。根據彭博新聞社匯編的油輪跟蹤數據，4月份從美國墨西哥灣到歐洲的原油日運輸量有望達到170萬桶，與3月份的記錄相當。

過去兩天，貿易巨頭托克集團、bp和法國道達爾能源公司已將大約7船每船裝載70萬桶WTI米德蘭原油送入轉發(fā)鏈，這是該等級原油有史以來的首次出口。

轉發(fā)鏈允許持有遠期合約的交易商向另一交易商出售一批實際原油，從而在北海的紙面市場和現貨市場之間建立聯(lián)系。據參與市場的交易商稱，美國原油被提名為即期原油，被視為其成功轉型為即期布倫特原油基準的關鍵指標之一。

能源資訊機構表示，這些轉發(fā)鏈貨物“由一系列參與者持有，反映出新的布倫特原油評估過程具有良好的流動性”。 

李峻 編譯自 油價網

原文如下：

U.S. crude sets world's most important oil benchmark for first time

U.S. oil is already having a profound impact on the world’s most important oil benchmark, effectively setting the price just after its inclusion in the measure.

WTI Midland — produced in the West Texas shales — joined the Dated Brent benchmark on Tuesday, in an effort to revamp a gauge that is used to set the price of more than two-thirds of the world’s crude. So far, that integration has proved successful.

bp Plc has been offering the grade for early June at a low level on a pricing window run by S&P Global Commodity Insights, better known by traders as the Agency. As prices of the five other grades that comprise the benchmark were much higher, WTI Midland has essentially served as the key price maker.

“once adjusted for freight to a free-on-board basis, offers were competitive and helped define Dated Brent over those days of the assessment curve,” the Agency said in an emailed response to questions.

WTI Midland’s inclusion in Dated Brent — a pricing basket traditionally made up of North Sea grades Brent, Forties, Oseberg, Ekofisk and Troll — is the most significant overhaul of the measure in decades. But traders hadn’t expected the Texas crude to set the benchmark so soon, as its quality is similar to Ekofisk, but better than Forties, the usual price maker.

European refineries have boosted their purchases of U.S. crudes, mostly WTI Midland, since the war last year. Shipments from the U.S. Gulf to Europe were poised to reach about 1.7 MMbpd in April, matching the record in March, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

Trading house Trafigura Group, as well as bp and TotalEnergies SE, have put seven cargoes of WTI Midland — each about 700,000 bbl — into forward chains over the past two days, the first time ever for the grade.

Chains allow a trader with forward contracts to sell a cargo of actual oil to another trader, providing a link between the North Sea’s paper and physical markets. The nomination of the U.S. grade into forward chains is regarded as one of the key indicators of the success of its transition into the Dated Brent benchmark, according to traders involved in the market.

These chained cargoes “have been kept by a range of participants, reflecting good liquidity in the new Brent assessment process,” the Agency said.