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Kieran Dodds for The International Herald Tribune
Aberdeen, With a Foot on the SeafloorBy STANLEY REED August 05, 2013蘇格蘭阿伯丁，海上能源業的“矽谷”STANLEY REED 2013年08月05日ABERDEEN,
Scotland — Peter Blake has an American employer, the oil giant Chevron,
and his work is global. It is his job to pull together and dispatch
billions of dollars' worth of sophisticated undersea equipment needed
for oil and natural gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore from Angola, the Republic of Congo, Indonesia and Australia.蘇格蘭阿伯丁——彼得·布萊克(Peter Blake)受僱於美國石油巨擘雪佛龍(Chevron)，他的工作是全球性的。他負責統籌安排價值數十億美元的精密海底設備，這些設備被用來開採位於墨西哥灣，以及安哥拉、剛果共和國、印度尼西亞和澳大利亞的海上石油和天然氣田。So why is Mr. Blake, head of Chevron's undersea unit, based here in northeast Scotland?那麼，為什麼布萊克作為雪佛龍海底設備部門負責人，要以蘇格蘭東北部的阿伯丁為大本營呢？Because
since the early 1970s, when oil was discovered in the British North
Sea, Aberdeen has evolved from a fishing town, to an oil boom town, to
the world's center of innovation and execution for the technology that
makes the modern offshore energy industry possible.原因是，自20世紀70年代早期在英國北海發現石油以來，阿伯丁已從一個小漁鎮逐漸演變為一座繁榮的石油重鎮，演變為一個技術創新和執行的世界中心，這些技術使現代海上能源產業成為可能。蘇格蘭阿伯丁的聯合大街。這座城市躲過了困擾英國和歐洲大部分地區的經濟低迷。Kieran Dodds for The International Herald Tribune蘇格蘭阿伯丁的聯合大街。這座城市躲過了困擾英國和歐洲大部分地區的經濟低迷。“Scotland
has been the home of subsea engineering,” Mr. Blake, a Scot, said in a
conference room in Chevron's European headquarters on a hilltop
overlooking this city and its many dark granite buildings. “The
expertise generated by the North Sea continually influences undersea work across the globe.”“蘇格蘭一直是海底工程技術的發源地，”在雪佛龍歐洲總部的一間會議室裡，身為蘇格蘭人的布萊克說道。雪佛龍歐洲總部建在山頂上，俯瞰著整座城市和許多暗色花崗岩樓房。 “北海產生的專業技術持續影響著全球海底作業。”That
expertise, with a resurgence of investment in natural gas and oil
fields in and near the North Sea, means that Aberdeen, with 468,000
people in the city and surrounding area, has been able to nearly escape
the economic doldrums that have plagued most of Britain and
Europe. Aside from central London, Aberdeen is the wealthiest place in
Britain, with an annual income of about £32,000, or about $49,000, per
person. And thanks to the more than 100,000 jobs the oil industry
generates in the area, unemployment in the city and neighboring shires is less than half the 7.8 percent national average.這種專業技術，加上再度興起的對北海及其附近石油和天然氣田的投資熱，意味著在市內及周邊地區有46.8萬居民的阿伯丁，幾乎未受困擾英國和歐洲大部地區的經濟低潮的影響。除倫敦市中心以外，阿伯丁是英國最富裕的地方，人均年收入達到約3.2萬英鎊（約合30萬元人民幣）。而且得益於石油業為該地區帶來的逾10萬就業崗位，阿伯丁及鄰近地區的失業率還不到7.8%的全國平均值的一半。The average pay for each of those oil jobs, at £64,000, is more than double the British average.而且，這些石油業職位平均薪酬為6.4萬英鎊，是英國平均薪水的兩倍多。“We've
got plenty of well-paid people,” said Bob Keiller, chief of executive
of Wood Group, a company that traces its roots to an early 20th-century
fishing and boat repair business that has developed into a global oil
services company with more than £7 billion a year in revenue.“我們有很多拿高薪的人，”伍德集團(Wood Group)首席執行官鮑勃·基勒(Bob Keiller)說。該集團的前身是一家建立於20世紀初的漁業和船舶修理企業，後來發展成一個全球石油服務業公司，年收入超過70億英鎊。Aberdeen
does not look rich, though it does seem to have a disproportionate
number of Range Rovers, Mercedes and BMWs. Its battered waterfront bars,
with names like Neptune and Character, appear to have been little
changed by four decades of an oil economy.阿伯丁看上去並不富裕，儘管這裡似乎有著數量超出比例的路虎攬勝(Range Rovers)、梅賽德斯(Mercedes)和寶馬(BMW)車。而發展40年的石油經濟，似乎也沒讓那些名為“海王星”、“品格”等飽經風浪打擊的海濱酒吧發生任何改變。But
the fishing boats have been replaced by big, brightly painted oil field
vessels that pull in and out of the narrow harbor entrance day and
night. Such is the demand for pier space that the harbor authorities are
contemplating construction of an additional pier in the next bay.但是，漁船已被刷著亮漆的大型油田船舶取代，它們不分晝夜地在狹窄的港口進進出出。對碼頭空間的需求如此之大，港務局正考慮在鄰近海灣增建一座碼頭。Aberdeen
remains a boomtown even though North Sea oil reserves are gradually
being tapped out. And yet that is why the city has become such an
innovation hub.儘管北海原油儲量正趨於枯竭，但阿伯丁仍是一個繁榮的城市。而且，也正是因為油田老化枯竭，才推動該市成為一個創新中心。New
development projects are having to venture ever deeper into more
treacherous waters, whether west of the Shetland Islands in Britain or
in the Barents Sea off Russia.新開發項目必須要進入更深、更險惡的水域進行勘探，比如英國設德蘭群島以西海域或是俄羅斯海岸外的巴倫支海。For
two planned projects, Rosebank off the Shetlands and Alder in the North
Sea, Chevron and its partners recently awarded contracts worth £550
million, or more than $840 million. In the case of Rosebank, equipment
must work at depths of 3,600 feet, and its surface production vessel must withstand waves 98 feet high or more.對於已規劃好的兩個項目——設德蘭群島邊上的羅斯班克(Rosebank)油氣田及北海的阿爾德(Alder)油氣田——雪佛龍最近和其合作夥伴發放了價值5.5億英鎊的合同。羅斯班克項目中，設備必須在海平面以下3600英尺的海底開展作業，而其海面開採平台必須能承受98英尺或者更高的海浪。The
companies winning those contracts included a joint venture of the oil
services giant Schlumberger and Cameron International, an undersea
hardware specialist; and Aker Solutions, a Norwegian maker of oil and
gas equipment. Each has a big presence in Aberdeen.贏得那些合同的公司包括一家由石油服務業巨頭斯倫貝謝(Schlumberger)和海底硬件設備專業生產商卡梅隆國際(Cameron International)組建的合資企業；以及挪威的油氣設備生產商阿克工程公司(Aker Solutions)。這些公司均在阿伯丁有很大業務地盤。As
the rest of the global oil industry moves offshore and into deeper
water off Brazil, Africa and the United States, the techniques and
technology honed in the North Sea are increasingly in demand worldwide.隨著全球石油業的其餘成員也移師海上，進軍巴西、非洲和美國附近的深水油氣田，在北海得到完善的方法和技術在世界各地越來越吃香。Oil
installations in water thousands of feet deep often resemble jellyfish,
with a single platform or vessel floating at the top and far below a
mass of wellheads, underwater controls, pump stations, piping and
processing units snaking along the seabed.在數千英尺深的水域，石油設施看上去往往像只水母，一個孤零零的平台或船舶漂浮在海面上，在極深的海床上則綿延著一大堆井口、水下控制、泵站、管道和處理設備。Humans
cannot work under a mile of water, so installing such equipment calls
for specialized ships that can lay pipes and direct robotic submarines
that install and maintain the gear. The arsenal includes powerful pumps
and “well trees” — complex arrays of pipes and valves that sit atop undersea wells and regulate the flow of fluids.人類無法在1英里（約合1.6公里）以下的水中作業，所以安裝這種設備需要特種船舶，由其鋪設管道，並操控機器人潛艇安裝和維護設備。全套設備包括強大的油泵和“井樹”——位於海床井口的複雜的管道和閥門陣列，用於調節流體的流動。“Acid
stimulation systems” inject chemicals into seafloor wells to increase
production. Gas compressors, huge pieces of equipment that keep gas
fields pumping, are being built to go deep under water rather than on
land or on platforms. All must be built to resist the corrosion of salt water and withstand tremendous water pressure.“酸化增產系統”把化學物注入海底油井以提高產量。氣體壓縮機是一種保持氣田噴氣的大型設備，它正被重新設計，以便在深水下（而不是陸地或平台上）運行。所有設備都必須建得足以耐受鹽水的腐蝕，並能夠承受巨大的水壓。The
costs of undersea oil projects can run into billions of dollars because
usually the only practical solution is to put most of the gear for a
deepwater field on the seafloor, rather than on a platform or on land.
Still, “the real estate on the bottom is cheap, compared to the surface,” Mr. Blake said.海底石油項目的成本可能高達數十億美元，因為通常唯一實際的方案是把深水油氣田的大部分設備放在海底，而不是平台或陸地上。不過，“比起表面，底下的地產價格比較便宜，”布萊克說。This
urge to submerge is proving to be a boon for British purveyors of
underwater equipment and services and for their Norwegian counterparts.
Subsea UK, an Aberdeen-based trade group, figures that British companies
have about £8.9 billion in revenue, or 45 percent of the global subsea business, which has been growing at an annual rate of 17 percent.海底採油潮成了英國水下設備和服務提供商及其挪威同行的搖錢樹。 “英國海底”(Subsea UK)是一家阿伯丁的貿易組織，據該組織統計，英國公司擁有大約89億英鎊收入，佔全球海底設備市場的45%，該市場每年增長17%。“We
often try new technology in the North Sea. It is a test bed,” said Matt
Corbin, chief executive of the subsea unit of Aker Solutions, which
employs 2,800 people here.“我們經常在北海嘗試新技術。這裡成了實驗平台，”阿克工程公司海底設備分公司首席執行官馬特·科爾賓(Matt Corbin)說。該公司在當地僱傭了2800人。On
a warm July afternoon in an industrial park near Aberdeen International
Airport, Aker's engineers were at work on sophisticated electronic
control systems for what may be a first: an enormous gas compression
unit, 75 meters long. What looks like a railroad bridge will be
installed on
the sea bottom off western Norway at an oil field called Asgard that is
operated by Statoil, the Norwegian national oil company.7月一個溫暖的下午，在阿伯丁國際機場附近的一個工業園區裡，阿克公司的工程師們正忙於製造一種複雜的電子控制系統，它將用於或許是世界首創的一台巨型氣體壓縮裝置，有75米長。這東西看上去就像一座鐵路橋，將被安裝在挪威以西的阿斯加德(Asgard)油田的海底，該油田的作業方是挪威國家石油公司(Statoil)。At
Schlumberger, the oil services company, drilling specialists in the
Aberdeen technology center can monitor, by video, the progress of
undersea drilling at its clients' projects anywhere in the world.
“Because we run so much technology in the North Sea, we have the
ability to look at data and give a sensible answer in other parts of
the world, " said Graham Raeper, a Schlumberger engineer, as he pored
over a readout with details of a well being drilled in Angola.在石油服務集團斯倫貝謝，阿伯丁技術中心的鑽井專家可以通過視頻，監視世界各地客戶項目的海底鑽井進度。 “因為我們在北海採用這麼多的技術，我們有能力查看數據，針對世界其他地方提供明智的答案，”斯倫貝謝工程師格雷厄姆·瑞珀爾(Graham Raeper)說。他正在聚精會神地閱讀安哥拉一個鑽井工程的詳盡讀數。Aberdeen's
ability to grow as an energy hub may have limits. Already, some
industry executives worry that wage inflation could eventually prompt
them to find less expensive locales. And as the region's offshore energy
reserves eventually dwindle, many companies will have less reason to
have Aberdeen addresses.阿伯丁作為一個能源樞紐的發展空間或許是有限度的。一些業界高管已經開始擔心，工資的上漲最終將迫使他們尋找更便宜的地點。隨著該地區的海上能源儲量最終枯竭，許多公司將沒有那麼充足的理由堅守阿伯丁。But
some locals expect the city's intellectual capital to endure — just as
there is a Silicon Valley, though little of its business actually
involves silicon. “We can be confident the exports will continue,” said
Alexander Kemp, an oil economist at the University of Aberdeen.但一些當地人期望該市的智力資本將能夠持續，就好比矽谷的多數業務與硅無關一樣。 “我們有信心認為，出口將會繼續，”阿伯丁大學(University of Aberdeen)石油經濟學家亞歷山大·肯普(Alexander Kemp)說。For
now, at least, the job seekers continue to flock here, whether to the
office parks or the oil field equipment factories springing up on what
were cow pastures west of the city.至少就目前而言，求職者仍不斷湧向這裡，無論是前往辦公園區或是油田設備工廠，這些建築在這座城市以西曾是養牛場的地方如雨後春筍般湧現。“We
are in a bubble here,” said John Morrison, a recent architecture
graduate who is designing suburban tract housing to accommodate the
inflow. “I'd struggle to have a job anywhere else.”約翰·莫里森(John Morrison)是一名建築學應屆畢業生，他正在設計用來安置新來者的市郊住宅區。 “我們正處在一個泡沫中，”莫里森說。 “我在其他地方將是難以找到工作的。”
Copyright © 2013 The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.翻譯：谷菁璐、林蒙克
據National Building Society的數據，能與之相提並論的只有倫敦北區的伊斯林頓和市中心的威斯敏斯特這兩個城區。
最近，阿伯丁的房價又開始大漲。它魅力何在？
供不應求
仔細探究，可以發現從阿伯丁的房地產市場可以看到整個英國房市的複雜肌理。
首先，阿伯丁首次購房需求強，成交價超過估價者多，因工作關係遷入該市的家庭對房產的需求大，房產投資者熱衷，而房產供應緊缺。
不過，阿伯丁以外的蘇格蘭其他地區，房價多年蹣跚，最近剛開始抬頭。
這不僅說明平均房價的誤導性較強，也挑戰了一個很普遍的觀點，即倫敦房市獨一無二，英格蘭東南部的房價漲勢舉國無雙。
從阿伯丁港灣向內陸延伸的這個城市，初次買房者發現一居室公寓的價格最高可達14萬英鎊，再大一點的房產可貴至50萬英鎊。
供不應求，意味著現在許多買家為確保能買到合意的房產，出價往往比估價高5%到10%。
當地的房地產經紀經常通過不公開投標的方式決定代售房產花落誰手。
初攀房產階梯者的競標對手不乏購房出租的投資者。
坐擁油田
當然，阿伯丁房地產市場高溫的秘密其實不能算秘密，那就是北海原油。
北海原油是當地經濟的引擎，大公司在這個地區有長遠的投資部署，當地房地產經紀業者對未來市道信心十足。
雖然阿伯丁也難免受金融危機惡浪的衝擊，但蘇格蘭第一、二大城市愛丁堡和格拉斯哥傷勢更重，恢復更慢。
阿伯丁大學公布的數據顯示，坐擁北海原油財富的這個港口城市的金融機構已經「重新擰開按揭貸款的龍頭」。
今年第二季度，阿伯丁房產成交量比去年同期增25%，市區和郊區的房價漲5.5%。
「可持續」上漲
這三個月裏，公寓房銷量同比增53%，主要驅動因素是購房出租者對未來抱樂觀預期，又能較容易獲得按揭貸款。
雖然從買房角度說，這確實是令人沮喪的消息，但阿伯丁的房地產市場還遠遠未達到2007年時的高溫。
當地房產經紀記得，那時一套公寓房上市，10-20個買家爭奪，現在只有3-4家競標。
而且，當年初次購房者多為20來歲的年輕人，現在初次購房者也年輕，但大部分是30歲出頭，而且往往有父母的財務幫助。
阿伯丁地產業者估計，基於石油公司陸續在阿伯丁設立總部，不斷把員工從其他地區遷來，當地房價將保持「可持續增長」。
他們說，房價兩位數上漲不是好事，因為泡沫早晚會破，而一位數上漲更踏實。
（編譯：郱書 責編：路西）
Copyright © 2013 The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.翻譯：谷菁璐、林蒙克
阿伯丁房市持續高溫不輸倫敦
蘇格蘭第三大城市阿伯丁坐擁北海原油財富，房地產市場持續高溫，與倫敦齊名。
除了倫敦之外，英國還有一個城市房市高溫且海外買家源源不斷流入：蘇格蘭第三大城市阿伯丁。
阿伯丁及周邊地區的房價過去十年裏上漲超過一倍。最近，阿伯丁的房價又開始大漲。它魅力何在？
供不應求
仔細探究，可以發現從阿伯丁的房地產市場可以看到整個英國房市的複雜肌理。
首先，阿伯丁首次購房需求強，成交價超過估價者多，因工作關係遷入該市的家庭對房產的需求大，房產投資者熱衷，而房產供應緊缺。
不過，阿伯丁以外的蘇格蘭其他地區，房價多年蹣跚，最近剛開始抬頭。
這不僅說明平均房價的誤導性較強，也挑戰了一個很普遍的觀點，即倫敦房市獨一無二，英格蘭東南部的房價漲勢舉國無雙。
從阿伯丁港灣向內陸延伸的這個城市，初次買房者發現一居室公寓的價格最高可達14萬英鎊，再大一點的房產可貴至50萬英鎊。
供不應求，意味著現在許多買家為確保能買到合意的房產，出價往往比估價高5%到10%。
當地的房地產經紀經常通過不公開投標的方式決定代售房產花落誰手。
初攀房產階梯者的競標對手不乏購房出租的投資者。
坐擁油田
當然，阿伯丁房地產市場高溫的秘密其實不能算秘密，那就是北海原油。
北海原油是當地經濟的引擎，大公司在這個地區有長遠的投資部署，當地房地產經紀業者對未來市道信心十足。
雖然阿伯丁也難免受金融危機惡浪的衝擊，但蘇格蘭第一、二大城市愛丁堡和格拉斯哥傷勢更重，恢復更慢。
阿伯丁大學公布的數據顯示，坐擁北海原油財富的這個港口城市的金融機構已經「重新擰開按揭貸款的龍頭」。
今年第二季度，阿伯丁房產成交量比去年同期增25%，市區和郊區的房價漲5.5%。
「可持續」上漲
這三個月裏，公寓房銷量同比增53%，主要驅動因素是購房出租者對未來抱樂觀預期，又能較容易獲得按揭貸款。
雖然從買房角度說，這確實是令人沮喪的消息，但阿伯丁的房地產市場還遠遠未達到2007年時的高溫。
當地房產經紀記得，那時一套公寓房上市，10-20個買家爭奪，現在只有3-4家競標。
而且，當年初次購房者多為20來歲的年輕人，現在初次購房者也年輕，但大部分是30歲出頭，而且往往有父母的財務幫助。
阿伯丁地產業者估計，基於石油公司陸續在阿伯丁設立總部，不斷把員工從其他地區遷來，當地房價將保持「可持續增長」。
他們說，房價兩位數上漲不是好事，因為泡沫早晚會破，而一位數上漲更踏實。
（編譯：郱書 責編：路西）
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