????上周，英國石油公司（BP）收獲頗豐。這家公司不僅在上周一公布了好于預期的營收業績，27日，它又獲準在墨西哥灣重啟石油鉆探，自去年釀成巨災的漏油事故以來，這還是頭一次。雖然仍處于“修復模式”（repair mode），但該公司似乎正在重回正軌，并正加速重返墨西哥灣地區的石油鉆探領域。

????本周，媒體對BP的報道一直表現得謹慎樂觀，與一年半以前的情形有著天壤之別。2010年4月，BP一個鉆探平臺火光沖天的照片在各大媒體廣為流傳，大眾對BP的怒火也隨之蔓延。當時起火的平臺屬于瑞士近海石油鉆探商Transocean公司，由BP運營。平臺爆炸引起原油大量外泄，致使BP無法控制——為了阻止原油大量流入墨西哥灣海域，公司用了整整86天時間進行各種嘗試，其間數次努力未果。而BP的領導層似乎對此充耳不聞，行動遲緩。當時，11名工人在Horizon平臺上死于非命，時任公司首席執行官的托尼?海沃德卻說，他希望生活重回正軌。坊間甚至一度猜測，這家石油巨頭可能將宣告破產。

????上周，各大石油公司開始公布收入，BP王者歸來。與去年同一財季相比，BP的利潤幾乎增長兩倍，從18億美元增至49億美元，凈收入則增長31%，達到了976億美元。

收入猛增的幕后故事

????凈收入猛增部分原因在于與漏油事故有關的巨額成本所致，這些成本去年還停留于公司的資產負債表上。外界要求BP就此發表評論，但它未作出回應。目前，這家公司仍在經受那場災難所帶來的財務劇痛的折磨。與去年同一財季相比，BP本財季的收入跌幅略低于4%，從55億美元跌至53億美元，主要是因為它賣出了可處置資產及儲備現金為漏油造成的損失買單。這也意味著，BP的石油產量并不如去年同期。與去年同期相比，其產量下降了12%，減至每日330萬桶。BP2011年第三財季的收益報告稱，公司最終將為漏油事故付出多大代價目前尚不得而知。

????毫無疑問，BP面臨著重大的考驗。鉆探石油的風險日益增大，這主要是由于與政局不穩的外國政府合作所帶來的政治風險，還有勘探深海區域這類需要高技術的領域所帶來的實際風險。

????但是所有石油公司幾乎都面臨著這樣的風險。而且恰恰是這這些公司，BP也不例外，都時刻準備從高企的油價中大獲其利。埃克森石油公司（Exxon）今天上午宣布，拜高油價所賜，與去年同期相比，其營收猛增41%，達到了103億美元，而其產量則相對持平。而華爾街的機構則正期待著雪佛龍石油公司（Chevron）28日上午也將宣布巨額的營收。

????因此，盡管必須為在美國水域所造成的有史以來最為嚴重的漏油事故負責，BP還是安然無恙。盡管人們對BP在深海的安全措施表示強烈抗議，這家公司照樣大舉上馬了更多的海上勘探項目。就在本財季，BP獲得了在特立尼達和多巴哥（拉丁美洲島國——譯注）附近深海區域進行鉆井勘探的租約。獲準在墨西哥灣鉆探的許可后，它還有望在這一地區獲得更多類似的鉆探許可。而墨西哥灣正是BP獲利豐厚的重要地區。

????It's been a big week for BP. Not only did it report better-than-expected earnings on Monday, but yesterday it received the first permit to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico since the catastrophic oil spill last year. The company appears to be on track, albeit in repair mode, and gearing up for a kind of drilling homecoming in the Gulf.

????The press around the company this week has been cautiously positive. This is a far cry from what it was over a year and a half ago. In April 2010, outrage at BP (BP) spread as pictures of a burning oil rig, owned by Transocean (RIG) and operated by BP, circulated through the press. The explosion on the rig caused a well leak that the company couldn't control -- it took 86 days and several failed attempts to stop the crude from hemorrhaging into Gulf waters. BP's leadership seemed tone-deaf and slow. Then-CEO Tony Hayward said he wanted his life back, when 11 workers had died on the Horizon rig. And there was even speculation that the oil giant would go bankrupt.

????Now, BP is holding its own during Big Oil earnings week. The energy company's profits nearly doubled from the same quarter last year, from $1.8 billion to $4.9 billion. Net revenue increased by about 31% to $97.6 billion.

Behind the earnings jump

????The sizable jump in net income comes partly on account of the immense spill-related costs that were on the company's balance sheet last year. And BP, which did not respond to a request for comment, is still feeling financial pangs from the disaster. This quarter's earnings declined by just under 4% from the same quarter the previous year, from $5.3 billion to $5.5 billion, in part due to BP's efforts to sell expendable assets and stash cash to pay for damages. This has meant BP hasn't produced as much oil. Its production decreased by about 12% from a year earlier to the equivalent of 3.3. million barrels a day. Ultimately, it's unclear how much the spill will cost the company, the 2011 third quarter earnings report said.

????Certainly, BP has significant exposure. It has become increasingly dangerous to drill oil on account of political risks tied to allying with unstable foreign governments, as well as physical risks such as exploring highly technical terrain like deep water.

????But pretty much every oil company faces those same risks. And just about every company, BP included, is poised to profit off of the high price of oil. Exxon (XOM) reported this morning that earnings jumped 41% to $10.3 billion compared to the same time last year, thanks to the high price of oil, but it's production levels remained fairly flat. And Wall Street expects Chevron (CVX) to report high earnings tomorrow morning.

????So despite being responsible for the worst spill in U.S. waters, BP is fine. And despite the outcry against BP's safety practices in deep water, the company is pushing onward with more offshore projects. Just this quarter, BP received leases to drill in new deepwater blocks off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. The company also expects other permits to follow the one it received yesterday to drill in the Gulf, BP's bread-and-butter region.