據管道&天然氣雜志網6月29日厄瓜多爾埃斯梅拉達斯報道，厄瓜多爾周一首次用一艘超大型油輪(VLCC)出口了其旗艦原油之一Orient貨物。此前，這個南美國家對其一個終端進行了升級，希望這將有助于促進其對亞洲的出口。

　　由于國家石油公司 Petroecuador的SOTE管道從Balao港口到附近的Punta Gorda終端的擴建工程的建設，使得這艘懸掛巴拿馬國旗的Gem 2號油輪能夠運送108萬桶 Oriente，該終端由私人控股財團OCP厄瓜多爾運營。

　　Balao是厄瓜多爾的主要石油港口，但與Punta Gorda不同，它無法接收能夠運輸多達200萬桶原油的VLCC。這意味著Petroecuador的客戶不得不將中級Oriente原油分幾批裝載到較小的油輪上。

　　厄瓜多爾希望，新的互聯互通將降低客戶的物流成本，使他們能夠一次性裝載Oriente和較重級別的Napo，使該國的石油更具競爭力，因為該國正尋求提高原油產量，以重振陷入困境的經濟。

　　厄瓜多爾石油公司（Petroecuador）新任首席執行官Pablo Luna對記者表示，這有助于我們的原油在國際市場有更好的定位。

　　Gem2號還裝載了約70萬桶Napo原油。

　　郝芬 譯自 管道&天然氣雜志網

　　原文如下：

　　Eyeing Asian Market, Ecuador Begins Crude Exports in Larger Vessels

　　Ecuador for the first time on Monday exported a cargo of one of its flagship crudes, Oriente, aboard a very large crude carrier (VLCC), following an upgrade to a terminal that the South American country hopes will help it boost exports to Asia.

　　The shipment of 1.08 million barrels of Oriente aboard the Panama-flagged Gem No. 2 vessel was made possible due to the construction of an extension of state oil company Petroecuador's SOTE pipeline from the Balao port to the nearby Punta Gorda terminal, which is operated by privately-held consortium OCP Ecuador.

　　Balao is Ecuador's main oil port, but unlike Punta Gorda, is unable to receive VLCCs, which are capable of transporting up to 2 million barrels of crude. That meant Petroecuador's customers had to load medium-grade Oriente crude in several parcels aboard smaller tankers.

　　Ecuador is hoping the new interconnection will lower its customers' logistics costs and enable them to load both Oriente and the heavier Napo grades in a single shipment, making the country's oil more competitive as it seeks to boost crude output to revive a struggling economy.

　　"It better positions our crude in international markets," Petroecuador's newly installed Chief Executive Pablo Luna told reporters.

　　The Gem No. 2 also loaded some 700,000 barrels of Napo crude.