bp to transfer operatorship of Baku–Supsa pipeline to Azerbaijan, Georgia

bp will transfer operatorship of the Baku–Supsa oil pipeline to Azerbaijan and Georgia on June 8, 2026, the company’s Vice President for Production and Operations, Gordon Birrell, told journalists in Baku.

“On June 8, bp will transfer operatorship of the Azerbaijani and Georgian sections of the Baku–Supsa pipeline to the owners of those sections in Azerbaijan and Georgia,” Birrell said, according to local media.

The Baku–Supsa pipeline, also known as the Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP), was the first major export route to carry Azerbaijani crude oil westward to international markets. The 829-kilometre pipeline connects the Sangachal Terminal near Baku with Georgia’s Black Sea port of Supsa, enabling crude shipments to Europe by tanker via the Bosporus.

Construction of the pipeline began after Azerbaijan and Georgia signed an intergovernmental agreement in 1996, and the route entered operation in 1999. The project was widely viewed as a strategic milestone because it provided an export corridor that bypassed Russian territory and strengthened regional energy cooperation in the South Caucasus.

The pipeline has transported hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) fields and played a key role in establishing Azerbaijan as a significant energy exporter. According to SOCAR, nearly 738 million barrels had been shipped through the route by April 2026.

By Jeyhun Aghazada