BP商谈出售其在中国的LPG码头
2009.06.15
英国石油公司（BP）将准备在中国出售液化石油气(LPG)码头.
据说全球最大的石油公司之一的BP已经跟中国潜在的买主交涉，旨在售卖其在中国的LPG码头，BP在中国的液化石油气的市场资源在苏州有34000公吨，在宁波有250000公吨，还有在珠海也有200000公吨。宁波和珠海LPG码头的量分别排在中国的第一和第二位。
目前，据市场资源相关的人说，只有BP苏州液化石油气码头-位于中国江苏省东部-对买主有很大的吸引力。
“BP与一位潜在的买主即将达成协议，”据有关消息说，这笔交易很有可能在四月份达成。据说BP已对苏州的石油库报价在15亿到20亿元（即2.194亿~2.926亿美元）。
市场资源的相关人士说，报价里包括了两个地面冷藏的液化石油气储存库，并且每个库的容积都是31000立方米，还有六个容积分别为1000立方米加压密封的石油储存库。
目前，潜在的买主有香港上市的百江燃气和香港上市的中国内陆天然气集团。早在去年年初，湛江的一位石油贸易商说：“新奥燃气控股的香港上市公司和深圳上市的湛江东方能源公司(ZOUEC)就对BP在苏州的石油库有购买兴趣了，但最终都没达成交易。”
东方能源公司向普氏证实其已经取消跟BP的谈判，而其他潜在的买家都没有对此事做什么回应。并且，BP对普氏在星期五的询问也拒绝做出任何解释。
自从BP在九十年代后期进驻中国市场后，国内的液化石油气和天然气在市场上的进口份额缩小了。BP分别于1998年和2000年从美国石油公司和阿科石油公司购买了苏州和珠海的LPG码头。并在2002年与中石化镇海炼油厂合资一起经营其液化石油气的买卖生意。然而，有关的贸易商说，随着中国进口的LPG的市场份额的收缩，BP在去年就开始考虑售卖其LPG码头。
在国家扩建炼油项目时，国内液化石油气的产量也不断增加，同时，天然气使用比例的增加也挤压了进口液化石油气的市场份额，使得LPG码头处境艰难。
普氏相关数据表示，在今后不久的日子里，更先进炼油能力的提高会使中国的液化石油气的生产跟2008年的1860万相比提高6%（120万公吨），即有望可达1980万公吨。
从需求方面来说，中国在2008年消耗了2150万公吨的液化石油气，而估计2009年的消耗量会等于甚至低于2008年的。中国在2008年生产的1980万公吨液化石油气满足了92%的国内需求量，仅剩下170万公吨（8%）需要进口。同时，据说在近几年，快速发展的天然气市场也在占领液化石油气的市场份额。
据说中国东部的一些工厂，他们最开始以液化石油气作为燃料，依靠中国西气东送的管道，现在已经转为以天然气为燃料了。另外，国内南部跟东部的一些城市的LPG用户也改为使用天然气了。在过去六年里，国内城市对天然气的需求就曾经有连续双位数字增长的记录了，在接下来的几年里中国会有更多有关天然气项目的实行，液化天然气供应将增加和抵消部分的液化石油气的市场，据中石化有关消息。
外国投资者在中国液化石油气艰难的时期除了BP之外，其他外国投资商也面临着中国液化石油气目前艰难时期的挑战。
在中国南部广东省的普氏，美国德士古和美国雪佛龙等外国石油公司之前已声称由于负盈利，在2008年五月将终止其液化石油气业务。
有的公司已经正在寻找有200，000立方米大冷藏储存空间的LPG码头。
另外，据说台湾的石化发展有限公司也已经在寻求与中国福建省合资的华兴LPG码头的买主。CPDC华兴LPG码头的有一个容积为60，000立方米的冷藏储存库在2008年中旬已停止使用了。
同时，日本的贸易公司丸红商事，据说已经在为其在与中国深圳合资的Sinobenny液化石油气公司寻找能买50%的股份的买家。这个合资公司的冷藏液化石油气出产量可达160000立方米，面对目前的艰难形势，其中一位拥有一个主要的进口LPG码头的贸易商说:"现在在中国做进口LPG生意变得越来越艰难了."
翻译：广东交通职业技术学院 国际货运代理协会 吴桂珍，
校核：方风平
来源: Platts
BP in talks to sell LPG terminals in China
Saturday, 04 April 2009
Global oil major BP was said to have been in talks with potential buyers to sell its LPG terminals in China, including the 34,000 mt BP Suzhou, the 250,000 mt BP Ningbo, and the 200,000 mt BP Zhuhai sites, according to LPG market sources in China. The Ningbo and the Zhuhai terminals are China's largest and second largest LPG terminals respectively.
So far only the BP Suzhou LPG terminal, which is located in East China's Jiangsu province, was said to have attracted keen buying interest, said market sources.
"It was said that BP is close to reaching an agreement with the potential buyer," a source said, adding that the deal is likely to be settled in April.
BP was said to have offered to sell the Suzhou terminal for between Yuan 150-200 million ($21.94-29.26 million). The offer includes two ground refrigerated LPG storage tanks each with a capacity of 31,000 cubic meters, and six pressurized LPG storage tanks each with a capacity of 1,000 cu m, market sources said.
The potential buyers include Hong Kong-listed Panva Gas and Hong Kong-listed China Resources Gas Holdings, said sources.
"Hong Kong-listed XinAo Gas Holdings and Shenzhen-listed Zhangjiagang Oriental Energy Co [ZOUEC] were said to had shown interest in buying the BP Suzhou terminal earlier last year, but both have since retreated from the negotiations," said a Zhangjiagang-based LPG trader.
ZOUEC confirmed to Platts that it had withdrawn from negotiations with BP, while other potential buyers were not available for comment.
BP declined to comment on the issue when contacted by Platts Friday.
DOMESTIC LPG AND NATURAL GAS SHRINK IMPORTED LPG MARKET SHARE BP entered into China's LPG market in the late 1990s. It bought the Suzhou LPG terminal and the Zhuhai LPG terminal from Amoco and Arco in 1998 and 2000 respectively. In addition, it set up a joint-venture with Sinopec Zhenhai refinery to run its LPG business in China in 2002.
However, with the shrinking market share of imported LPG in China, BP began to consider selling its LPG terminals last year, said traders.
Increasing domestic LPG output along with the country's refinery expansion projects, as well as rising natural gas usage were said to have squeezed imported LPG's market share, dropping the terminals into hot water.
Chinese LPG production is expected to be further increased with more refining capacity coming on line in the years ahead, rising 6%, or 1.2 million mt, to 19.8 million mt in 2009 compared with 18.6 million mt in 2008, Platts data shows.
On the demand side, China consumed 21.5 million mt of LPG in 2008 while 2009 demand was expected to be flat or lower than that of 2008. The 19.8 million mt of LPG produced in China in 2008 met 92% of the total LPG demand in the country, leaving only 1.7 million, or 8%, for the imported LPG market.
Meanwhile, the growing natural gas market was said to have also eaten into LPG's market share in recent years.
Some factories in East China, which originally used imported LPG as fuel, were said to have switched to natural gas from PetroChina's West-East gas pipeline. In addition, some domestic users in southern and eastern cities have also switched to natural gas.
Domestic demand for natural gas in cities has recorded consecutive double-digit growth rates for the past six years and as more natural gas projects come into operation in China over the next few years, LNG supply is set to increase and offset part of the LPG market, said a Sinopec source.
DIFFICULT TIME FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS IN CHINA'S LPG MARKET
In addition to BP, other foreign investors are also facing the same challenges in China's LPG market.
As previously reported by Platts, Caltex Ocean Gas and Energy, Chevron's Chinese LPG trading arm in southern China's Guangdong province, suspended its LPG business in May 2008, due to negative trading margins.
The company was said to have been looking for buyers for its LPG terminal which has a refrigerated LPG storage capacity of 200,000 cu m.
In addition, Taiwan-based China Petrochemical Development Corp was also said to have been also seeking a buyer for its joint-venture Huaxing LPG terminal in southeastern Fujian province.
CPDC Huaxin LPG terminal, which has a refrigerated storage capacity of 60,000 cu m, suspended its LPG operations in mid-2008.
Meanwhile, Japanese-based trading company Marubeni was said to have been seeking buyers for its 50% stake in the LPG joint-venture Shenzhen Sinobenny in South China. The site has a refrigerated LPG storage capacity of 160,000 cu m. "It has been more and more difficult to run imported LPG business in
China," a trader with one of major import LPG terminals said.
Source: Platts
英国石油公司(BP) British Petroleum
LPG
英文全称：liquefied petroleum gas
