【英语国际】英国石油变卖资产 为处理漏油事件筹资

Seeking to distance itself from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP PLC announced a $32 billion pre-tax charge to pay for the massive Gulf oil spill, detailed plans to sell $30 billion in assets, replaced its gaffe-prone chief executive and promised to become a 'different company' more focused on safety.

Yet even after all that, some investors complained that BP had missed an opportunity to clean house and make a definitive break with its troubled past. And the company's apparent success in capping the ruptured well-which has helped produce a rebound in its pummeled stock price-may have made BP less inclined to perform more radical surgery.

For BP, the asset sales and new CEO are an attempt to begin moving beyond a catastrophe that has wiped out nearly 40% of its market value and put a question mark over its future in the U.S. The company Tuesday unveiled a loss in the second quarter of $17.15 billion-one of the largest in U.K. corporate history.

The oil giant tripled its previous target for asset sales to $30 billion from $10 billion, a step that will focus BP more on high-growth areas like the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Angola and Libya. Analysts expect it could offload oil fields in Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela and reduce its positions in former heartlands like Alaska and the North Sea. In all, the $30 billion asset sale would represent nearly 10% of BP's value and about 8% of the energy it produces.

The company appears confident it will find plenty of willing buyers for its wares: A recent deal to sell Apache Corp. gas assets in North America and Egypt netted the company $7 billion.

BP formally announced Tuesday that it had chosen Robert Dudley, an American who has been at the company since 1998, to replace Tony Hayward as chief executive. He is the first non-Briton to head the company. And his task is to restore BP's reputation and credibility in the U.S., where Mr. Hayward became a lightning rod for criticism of BP's handling of the spill.

In his first public statements since getting the job, Mr. Dudley told reporters that there was 'no question' the U.K. oil major would become a 'different company' in the aftermath of the Gulf disaster.

Still, he also projected a message of continuity. He praised Mr. Hayward for effecting a 'cultural change' at BP, with a new focus on 'safe and reliable operations,' and said only that there was now a need 'to accelerate that change.'

BP stressed Tuesday that it's in robust financial health, despite the Gulf disaster. Factoring out the $32.2 billion charge for the oil spill, its net profit for the second quarter was $4.385 billion. With the charge, it reported a loss of $17.15 billion.

It also said it planned to offset all oil spill-related costs against its U.S. tax bill. That would mean the net impact to its bottom line would be $22 billion.

为了试图摆脱深水地平线灾难的影响，英国石油公司(BP PLC)宣布了税前高达320亿美元的承付款以支付处理墨西哥湾大规模漏油事件所需的费用，制订了出售300亿美元资产的详细计划，撤换了不当言行频频曝光的首席执行长，并承诺将变成一个更加关注安全的完全不同的公司。

Getty Images英国石油新任CEO达德利抵达伦敦公司总部。然而做了这一切努力之后，部分投资者抱怨说英国石油公司错失了一个改头换面并与麻烦重重的过去彻底说再见的机会。而且公司在封堵破裂油井方面获得的表面成功帮助其倍受打击的股价出现了反弹，因此它或许更不愿做一个更全面的大手术以重塑自我。

对英国石油公司而言，变卖资产和任命新CEO之举均是为了开始走出这场灾难的阴霾。这场灾难使其市值蒸发了近40%，并为其在美国的未来划上了问号。周二，这家公司报告第二季度亏损171.5亿美元，这是英国公司历史上最严重的亏损之一。

这家石油巨头原先预计出售100亿美元的资产，现在这一目标增至三倍，达300亿美元。此举将使英国石油公司更专注于高增长领域，如墨西哥湾的深海油井，安哥拉和利比亚的近海油井等。分析师预计它将出售位于阿根廷、哥伦比亚和委内瑞拉的油田并减少其在阿拉斯加和北海等前核心地区的份额。出售的300亿美元资产一共将占公司总值的近10%，占其能源生产总量的约8%。

英国石油公司似乎自信能为其资产找到很多买家。近期向Apache Corp.出售其北美和埃及气田资产的交易为公司净赚了70亿美元的资金。

周二，英国石油公司正式宣布任命1998年加入公司的美国人达德利(Robert Dudley)接替唐熙华(Tony Hayward)担任公司首席执行长。他成为掌管这家公司的第一个非英国人。他的任务是恢复英国石油公司在美国的声誉和可信度。在美国，英国石油公司因处理漏油事件不力而倍受指责，唐熙华已经成为公司的避雷针。

在上任之后的第一次公开谈话中，达德利对记者说，在发生墨西哥湾灾难之后，这家英国石油巨头毫无疑问将变成一家完全不同的公司。

尽管如此，他也传递了公司策略将继续的信息。他称赞唐熙华促使公司文化发生转变，把新的关注点放在安全和可靠运营方面，并说只是现在需要“加快这种转变”。

周二，英国石油公司强调称，尽管出现了墨西哥湾灾难，公司财务状况依然稳健。不算为漏油事件承付的322亿美元，其第二季度净利润为43.85亿美元。算上这笔费用，公司损失达171.5亿美元。

它还说计划用漏油相关成本充抵在美国的税款。这意味着漏油事件对其利润的净影响为220亿美元。