Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline to increase shipment of Turkmen oil to world markets
The volumes of oil transit from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export pipeline of Azerbaijan will increase over the next 3-7 years. The statement came from Tariel Mirzoev, head of the strategic development and investment projects department of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping, during his remarks at the international forum “Caspian and Central Asia – trade, logistics, oil refining, petrochemicals” hosted by Baku. The official said the growth will be ensured by the company due to purchase of new tankers. Their construction is expected to be completed next year. 1,768 km long BTC pipeline with a daily capacity of 84,000 tons has been operating since 2006, delivering Caspian oil to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Turkmen "black gold", shipped to Baku by tankers, has been exported via the line since 2010. According to the Azerbaijani state statistics committee, over 6.5 million tons of transit oil were pumped through the pipeline in 2017, and 1.5 million tons - in Q1 2018. Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan shares over 80% of oil traffic going through Azerbaijan's oil trunk pipelines.
