西方国家决定动用自1991年以来最大数量的紧急战略储备，油价应声下跌逾7%，此举是对石油生产国卡特尔欧佩克(Opec)发出的警告。
国际能源署(IEA)同意在未来一个月向市场投放6000万桶石油，以弥补利比亚每日150万桶的优质石油产量缺口，这个北非国家目前深陷内战。
美国在这一行动中扮演龙头角色，将提供50%的原油，日本、德国、法国、西班牙和意大利将提供剩余份额中的大部分。IEA表示正与全球第二大石油消费国中国磋商，但不愿说明北京方面会否加入这项努力。
消息公布后，布伦特原油(Brent crude)价格大跌7.4%，至每桶105.72美元，随后在伦敦午后交易中在每桶106.12美元的价位企稳。
此举在IEA的历史上只是第三次。该机构是在阿拉伯石油危机后于1974年成立的，目的是抗衡欧佩克。当前西方各国政府担忧原油价格高企可能影响经济复苏。
“石油市场供应紧张程度上升，可能影响脆弱的全球经济复苏，”IEA警告称，并指出利比亚供应中断和“炼油厂需求的正常（夏季）季节性增加”都是原因。
美国能源部长朱棣文(Steven Chu)表示，美国此前一直与石油生产国和消费国保持密切联络，商讨可能影响全球经济的国际石油市场供应中断的情况。
“我们采取这一行动，是由于利比亚及其它国家供应中断导致原油持续减产，威胁到全球经济复苏，”朱棣文表示。“在我们采取行动之际，我们将继续密切关注局势，并准备在必要情况下采取进一步行动。”
美国的战略石油储备目前处于7.27亿桶的创纪录高水平。咨询顾问、直到不久以前还是美国国务院国际能源事务协调官的戴维•高德温(David Goldwyn)表示，疲弱的经济增长说明，石油供应中断正在造成“严重而持久的损害”——这是华盛顿方面授权投放石油储备的先决条件。
咨询顾问、在2001年至2003年担任白宫石油顾问的罗伯特•麦克纳利(Robert McNally)表示，虽然IEA以利比亚作为理由，“实际上迫使各方采取行动的是油价飙升”。
本月早些时候，欧佩克成员国未能就正式提高产量配额达成一致，尽管世界最大产油国、传统上被视为该卡特尔组织实际领导者的沙特阿拉伯发起了协同增产努力。伊朗反对增产。
IEA在5月曾表示，除非欧佩克增产，否则将动用手头的一切工具来增加供应。
伊朗驻欧佩克代表穆罕默德•阿里•哈提比(Mohammad Ali Khatabi)周三指出，目前不存在供应短缺的证据，无需“石油消费国的干预”。
“也许他们认为有更多需求，但就我们所知，目前市场正处于供需平衡的稳定局面，”他向英国《金融时报》表示。
译者/和风
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001039263
Oil prices dropped more than 7 per cent after Western nations released the biggest amount of oil from their emergency strategic stocks since 1991, in a warning shot aimed at Opec, the oil producers’ cartel.
The International Energy Agency agreed to release 60m barrels of oil in the coming month to offset the daily production loss of 1.5m barrels of high quality oil from Libya, the north African country engulfed in a civil war.
The US led the release, providing 50 per cent of the crude oil, with Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Italy providing most of the rest. The IEA said that it was in consultations with China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer but declined to say whether Beijing would join the effort.
Brent crude prices tumbled 7.4 per cent to $105.72 after the news was released, before settling at $106.12 in late afternoon trade in London.
The move is only the third time in the history of the IEA, established in 1974 as a counterbalance to Opec after the Arab oil crisis. Western governments are concerned about the impact of high crude prices on the economic recovery.
“Greater tightness in the oil market threatens to undermine the fragile global economic recovery,” the IEA warned, citing the Libyan supply disruption and “the normal [summer] seasonal increase in refiner demand”.
The US had been in close contact with oil producing and consuming countries about disruptions to the international oil market that could affect the global economy, said Steven Chu, US energy secretary.
“We are taking this action in response to the ongoing loss of crude oil due to supply disruptions in Libya and other countries and their impact on the global economic recovery,” Mr Chu said.
“As we move forward, we will continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to take additional steps if necessary.” The US special petroleum reserve is currently at a record high level of 727m barrels. David Goldwyn, a consultant and until recently the US State Department’s top diplomat for oil affairs, said weak economic growth demonstrated that the oil disruption was inflicting “severe and long lasting damage” – a precondition for Washington to authorise the release of the oil reserve.
Robert McNally, a consultant and White House oil adviser from 2001 to 2003, said that although the IEA was pointing to Libya, “in reality the forcing action is the surge in oil prices”.
Earlier this month, Opec members failed to agree an official increase in production quotas despite a concerted effort by Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest producer and traditionally seen as the cartel’s de facto leader, to boost output. Iran opposed the increase.
The IEA said in May that it would use all tools at its disposal to increase supply unless the cartel raised production.
Mohammad Ali Khatabi, Iran’s Opec governor argued on Wednesday that there was no evidence of a supply shortage necessitating the “interference of oil consumers”.
“Maybe they think there is more demand, but as far as we know the market enjoys stability in supply and demand,” he told the Financial Times.
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