據7月22日報道，巴布亞新幾內亞離岸公司Oil Search宣布，由于疫情傳播，一個擬議液化天然氣(LNG)項目的技術人員們已被遣散，這給該公司在巴布亞新幾內亞的未來業(yè)務的發(fā)展帶來不確定性。

該項目由巴布亞新幾內亞政府、Oil Search、道達爾(Total)和埃克森美孚(ExxonMobil)共同組建，計劃在5月份談判結束后將繼續(xù)推進。由于新冠肺炎疫情及其對油氣價格的影響，該項目被擱置，道達爾和埃克森美孚撤出了大部分技術和商業(yè)人員。

該項目的暫停是Oil Search遭遇的最新挫折。該公司今天公布了半年度財務數據，業(yè)績喜憂參半。從今年第一季度末到第二季度末，總營收下降了26%，而上半年的營收與2019年上半年相比下降了19%。盡管在這段時間內產量略有增長，2020年上半年的總產量比2019年上半年增長了4%，總銷售額增長了2%，但公司已經疲于應對疫情帶來的石油天然氣價格暴跌危機。

Oil Search報告指出，油價從2019年6月的68.67美元/桶暴跌至2020年6月的23.05美元/桶，同期液化天然氣和天然氣價格從9.30美元/百萬英熱下跌至7.34美元/百萬英熱。

這些價格崩潰迫使該公司削減運營成本,其總經理Keiran Wulff指出:“繼3月份采取果斷措施，將2020年的資本支出減少約40%，4月初，我們通過發(fā)行股票籌集了大約7億美元，從而大大地改善了資產負債表。配售部分的認購明顯超額，我們確保所有配售股份都分配給現有股東，以最大限度地減少稀釋。我們非常高興，這次加薪得到了股東的大力支持，特別是在當前這樣的市場狀況下。”

文件夾 摘譯自 Offshore Technology

原文如下：

Oil Search, Total and Exxon “demobilise” PNG exploration amid Covid-19

Papua New Guinean offshore company Oil Search has announced that technical staff at a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project have been “demobilised” due to the spread of Covid-19 in the country, casting some doubts over the company’s future in Papua New Guinea.

The plan, a joint venture between the Papua New Guinea Government, Oil Search, and industry majors Total and ExxonMobil, was set to go ahead following the completion of discussions in May. Known as the P’nyang Gas Agreement, the project has since been shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on oil and gas prices, and Total and ExxonMobil withdrawing the majority of their technical and commercial staff.

The suspension of the project is the latest setback for Oil Search, which published its half-year financial figures today, with mixed results for the company. Total revenue fell 26% between the end of the first quarter of 2020 and the end of the second quarter of the year, while half-year revenue is down 19% compared to the first six months of 2019. These struggles are in spite of a slight increase in production over this period, with total production up 4% and total sales up 2% in the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2019, as the company struggles to deal with the plummeting oil and gas prices that have rocked the industry amid the pandemic.

Oil Search’s reporting noted that the average oil price per barrel crashed from $68.67 in the June 2019 quarter to $23.05 in the June 2020 quarter, while LNG and gas price fell from $9.30 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) to $7.34 per MMBtu over the same period.

These price collapses have forced the company to cut costs across its operations, with managing director Keiran Wulff noting that: “Following the decisive steps taken in March to reduce 2020 capital expenditure by approximately 40%, in early April we strengthened our balance sheet materially by raising approximately $700 million through an equity issue.

“The placement component was significantly oversubscribed and we ensured that all placement shares were allocated to existing shareholders to minimise dilution,” Wulff continued. “We were very pleased that the raise was strongly supported by our shareholders, particularly given market conditions.”