据普氏能源资讯1月8日报道称，马来西亚轻质低硫原油的巨大价差可能继续促使该地区的一些主要买家到其他地方寻求更便宜的替代品，泰国大幅削减从这个东南亚供应国的进口，同时大幅提高美国原油的采购量。

近几个季度，印尼和越南的轻质和中质低硫原油现货市场供应的减少，为马来西亚这个原油生产基地提供了充足的支撑，Kimanis，Labuan，Kikeh等级的原油现货差异徘徊在多年高位附近。

马来西亚轻质低硫Kimanis原油在2018年第四季度对布伦特原油现货评估价的溢价为5.26美元/桶，这是自2016年2月10日普氏首次推出该评级以来的最高季度溢价。

去年下半年，马来西亚的其他主要出口原油等级也在上涨。另一种轻质低硫等级Kikeh在第四季度对布伦特原油现货价的平均溢价为5.41美元/桶，为四年来最高的季度平均现货溢价。

泰国炼油商是马来西亚轻质低硫等级的最大买家之一，他们一直在积极寻求亚洲以外的更便宜的轻质低硫等级，以应对马来西亚的较高溢价，泰国炼油商近几个月提高了从西非和美国的进口。

董飞 摘译自 普氏能源资讯

原文如下：

Thailand may seek more US crude amid lofty Malaysian premiums

Lofty price differentials for light sweet Malaysian crude oil may continue to urge some of the major buyers in the region to seek cheaper alternative grades elsewhere, with Thailand slashing its imports from the Southeast Asian supplier while sharply raising US crude purchases.

Dwindling spot market supply of light and medium sweet crudes from Indonesia and Vietnam provided ample support for the Malaysian crude complex in recent quarters, with spot differentials for Kimanis, Labuan, Kikeh grades hovering near multi-year highs.

Malaysian light sweet Kimanis crude was assessed at an average premium of $5.26/b to Platts Dated Brent crude assessments in Q4 2018, marking the highest ever quarterly premium recorded since S&P Global Platts first launched the assessment of the grade on February 10, 2016.

Malaysia's other flagship export grades also rallied in the second half of last year. Another light sweet grade Kikeh was assessed at an average premium of $5.41/b to Platts Dated Brent in Q4, its highest quarterly average spot differential in four years.

Thai refiners, one of the biggest buyers of light sweet Malaysian grades, have been actively seeking cheaper light sweet grades outside Asia in response to the high Malaysian premiums, raising its imports from West Africa and the US in recent months.