BP says exports of Azerbaijani oil from Türkiye are yet to restart

Exports of Azeri oil from Türkiye’s port of Ceyhan still haven’t resumed following two devastating earthquakes on February 6, according to BP Plc.

An “assessment is still ongoing,” a BP spokesperson said, Bloomberg reported on February 9.

The eastern Mediterranean port — which normally handles more than 1 million barrels a day of crude, most of it from Azerbaijan and Iraq — was shut on February 6 for safety checks following the quakes. While one berth serving Iraqi oil has reopened, it’s still unclear when ships will be able to load Azeri oil again.

The pipelines running to Ceyhan restarted late on February 7.

Azeri oil is transported through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipe. Last month, exports from Ceyhan from that amounted to about 615,000 barrels a day, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

BP has a 30.1% stake in BTC. Other partners include Azerbaijan’s state energy company Socar, Mol Nyrt and Eni SpA.

One of three bays handling oil from Iraq, which comes via a separate pipeline, also reopened on the evening of February 7. The country sends roughly 450,000 barrels a day to Ceyhan.

Iraq’s full-month exports from the port won’t be affected, according to an official with knowledge of the matter.

Ceyhan has almost 20 storage tanks with a combined capacity of roughly 17 million barrels.