VOA标准英语2014--利比亚的石油产量进一步下降
时间:2019-01-14 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2014年(六月)
Libya’s Oil Output Drops Further 利比亚的石油产量进一步下降
Libya has much of the world’s highest quality crude oil. But since the fall of long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, production has been sporadic 1 and on the decline.
After assessing Libya’s political instability, violence and armed groups battling for control, John Kingston summed up prospects 2 for the country’s oil industry this way:
“There’s essentially 3 no good news there.”
Kingston is director of news for Platts, which provides information on the global energy, petrochemical, metals and agriculture industries. He said during Gadhafi’s rule, Libya produced about 1.6-million barrels a day
“Their quality of crude is extremely high. So, for production of transportation fuels, like gasoline and diesel 4, if you lose a barrel out of Libya, you have to produce more than a barrel of heavier crude somewhere else to make up for it. Not all barrels are alike. And a Libyan barrel is more equal than others,” he said.
But not much is getting to market these days.
“Less and less,” he said, “That’s the problem. In fact it seems that exports out of a port called Marsa El Hariga, which was a very important port, appear to have stopped. And as a result of that the Libyans are returning to crudes that they were exporting to serve their own needs. So that’s lesser 5 exports there.”
The port closed after just reopening last month. But even when Marsa El Hariga was open, April exports averaged just 167,000 barrels a day. With the port closed, exports should drop further.
“It can’t get much worse in terms of supply. I mean if you’re down to under 200,000 barrels a day, which is what it looks like right now, you could easily go to zero,” he said.
Asked whether Platts knows who’s in charge of Libya’s oil sector 6, Kingston said,” No, we don’t and nobody is really in charge of the oil fields. And it’s not just a question of the fields, really, it’s a question of the ports. The fields are located miles away from any kind of population centers. So, the issue here is the logistical system that’s needed to export this oil. That is what is in turmoil 7 as a result of there [being] no central government and various rebel groups are in charge of some of the port facilities. So, that’s the problem.”
In March, a militia 8 group had attempted to sell some of the country’s oil. They loaded it on a tanker 9, which was thought to be destined 10 for North Korea. Libya’s weak government was opposed to the sale. Its efforts to seize the tanker failed, reportedly because of rough seas and bad weather. It also had threatened to bomb the vessel 11. It never got the chance. President Obama ordered U.S. Navy Seals to commandeer the ship.
Kingston said that the militia had little chance of success, anyway, since it was not part of the international banking 12 or shipping 13 systems.
The longer-term concerns in Libya, he said, are the country’s underground oil reservoirs. These are porous 14 or fractured rock formations that contain oil or natural gas. There’s a good chance they’re being damaged.
“Oil reservoirs are kind of a fragile thing, and they need tender loving care at all times. If you shut-in production it tends to damage the reservoir. So, even if democracy broke out tomorrow and everybody was peaceful in that country, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to get back up to the level that you were pre-Gadhafi overthrow 15 anytime soon,” said Kingston.
Platts is also monitoring developments in South Sudan, which has been mired 16 in conflict since December.
“There is a place in South Sudan called Unity 17 State, and production there remains 18 shut-in that probably has taken 40 to 50,000 barrels a day off of the markets. So, every barrel matters particularly when markets are relatively 19 tight, which they are. But South Sudan is just yet one more country in a line-up of countries that are wracked by some level of strife 20 that has tightened 21 the world oil supply. Libya is at the top of that list,” he said.
Kingston said Sudan’s oil production has not been affected 22 by the South Sudan conflict. Production remains around 50 to 60,000 barrels a day.
Other countries where various problems recently affected oil production include Iran, Venezuela and Syria. The conflict there has removed about 250,000 barrels a day off the market.
“So when you add up all those it’s a real murderer’s row of problems. Luckily, the United States and Canada have continued to increase their production, particularly the U.S., and that has softened 23 the blow,” he said.
Kingston said that the U.S. has been able to sharply boost oil production due to techniques that extract oil from shale 24 deposits.
- The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
- You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚,而我听到的只是零星消息。
- There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
- They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。
- Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
- She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
- We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
- My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。
- Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
- She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及,但程度较轻。
- The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
- The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。
- His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
- The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。
- First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面,其次是民兵。
- There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。
- The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
- Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。
- It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
- The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。
- The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
- You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
- John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
- He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。
- We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
- There's a shipping charge of £5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。
- He added sand to the soil to make it more porous.他往土里掺沙子以提高渗水性能。
- The shell has to be slightly porous to enable oxygen to pass in.外壳不得不有些细小的孔以便能使氧气通过。
- After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后,这个国家处于混乱中。
- The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。
- The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
- The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
- We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
- The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
- The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
- We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
- Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。
- The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
- His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机,然后又松开了。
- She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
- His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
- His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
- The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。