巴西天价罚单可能吓跑外国石油公司
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巴西国家石油公司依赖海外石油巨头和承包商来完成大部分海上工作。在巴西工作过的外国工程师都在抱怨巴西工程师缺乏应有的工作能力。去年，巴西国家石油公司报告了57起漏油事件，共往海中漏油4,201桶，远高于雪佛龙上个月的漏油量（而且不出意料，巴西国家石油公司公布的处罚额也小很多——2010年仅为4,300万美元）。同样还是这家公司，2000年致使当时全球最大的油井平台“意外”沉没，事故发生时距离其接管这个平台仅仅几个月。这次意外导致了几十亿美元打了水漂，也使巴西深刻意识到如果想成为石油出口大国，必须获得外资公司的帮助。 但如今，这场灾难在巴西利亚似乎已被淡忘。巴西国家石油公司对参与超深水域石油业务依然不积极，石油业界将此视为是向这个国家变相支付开采权费用。但根据去年通过的一项新法律，在任何与新探明的超大“盐层下”近海油田相关的新石油企业中，巴西国家石油公司必须持有至少30%的股份。 如果巴西希望发展本国石油产业，它就需要外资石油公司的技术和设备。巴西强迫外资石油公司将更多的未来利润给予巴西国家石油公司，早已引发众怒。现在，旨在进一步抢夺外资石油公司利润的巨额罚款威胁则可能吓跑它们。 |
Petrobras depends on foreign oil giants and contractors to do the lion's share of its work for them offshore. Foreign engineers that have worked in Brazil complain about the incompetence of their Brazilian counterparts. Last year, Petrobras reported 57 oil leaks that released 4,201 barrels of oil into the ocean, far more than Chevron's infringement last month (and not surprisingly, Petrobras reported significantly smaller fines -- only $43 million in 2010). And this is, after all, the company that in 2000 "accidentally" sank the world's largest oil platform at the time just a few months after taking ownership of it. The billions of dollars that went down the drain in that incident convinced Brazil that it needed foreign help if it ever hoped to become an oil exporting powerhouse. But the memories of that oil disaster seem to have faded in Brasilia. Petrobras's participation in the ultra-deep water oil business remains mostly passive and is viewed by the oil industry as another form of royalty payment to the state. But under a new law passed last year, Petrobras must now have a minimum 30% stake in any new oil ventures connected with the newly discovered mega "pre-salt" offshore fields. If Brazil hopes to grow its oil industry it will need the technology and equipment of foreign oil companies. It has already irked many of them by forcing them to turn over more of their future profit to Petrobras. But the threat of mega fines eating away at the rest of their profits will make many stay home. |
