First batch of Kazakh oil shipped from Ceyhan port via BTC PHOTO

On 22 April, the first batch of Kazakh oil transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline was shipped from the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

Azertag reports that SOCAR's subsidiary SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC made the due announcement.

It was noted that 83.2 thousand tons (665 thousand barrels) of oil produced from the Tengiz field were loaded on the Alatau tanker. Delegations from SOCAR, KazMunayGas, Tengizchevroil, Kazmortransflot, and their subsidiaries took part in the loading ceremony.

This success was achieved as a result of continuous oil supply from the Kazakh port of Aktau to the Azertrans-Sangachal terminal since March 2023 and subsequent transportation via BTC. Loading of the next batch of Kazakh oil on a tanker in the port of Ceyhan is planned for the end of May 2023.

It is worth noting that transportation of Kazakh oil via BTC is carried out under an agreement between SOCAR and KazMunayGas that envisages the transit of 1.5 million tons of oil annually. The first batch of Kazakh oil produced from the Tengiz field was delivered from Aktau to the Sangachal terminal by tanker "President Heydar Aliyev" on March 23 this year.

In 2022, SOCAR implemented important projects to upgrade the feeder network in and around the Sangachal terminal to receive Kazakh crude into the BTC pipeline. These projects increased the level of utilisation of BTC's throughput capacity.

The shipment of the first consignment of Kazakh oil from the port of Ceyhan is an important achievement in strengthening the partnership between SOCAR and KazMunayGas. This event once again proves the importance of regional energy cooperation, demonstrating the strategic role of the BTC pipeline as the main route for transporting Caspian oil to world markets.