Taking an active part in all large-scale regional transport projects, Azerbaijan became an important link in the cargo transportation system and may be considered as a transport bridge connecting dynamically developing regions of Asia and Europe.
The existing oil transportation infrastructure, including shipping system, port and terminal facilities, main pipelines and railway network provide an opportunity to Azerbaijan to satisfy growing demands of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in supplying oil and oil products to the world markets.
In 2007 some 3.46mln tons of oil and oil products were transported to Black Sea ports of Georgia via the terminals of Azerbaijan.
The existing oil and oil products transportation infrastructure:
Caspian Oil Fleet
Ports and oil terminals - Sangachal, Dubendi and Baku
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline (BTC)
Baku-Supsa Pipeline
Baku-Novorossiysk Pipeline
Railway transport corridor Baku - Black Sea ports of Georgia
Trans-Caspian shipping
Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company is the largest transporter in Caspian. The tanker fleet is comprised of 40 ships with a capacity of between 5,000 and 13,000 tons. The potential shipping capacity of the tanker fleet makes up 15mln tons per year.
Ports and terminals
Sangachal
Capacity of the port | 8mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 320,000 tons |
Connection with Baku-Supsa and BTC | 9mln tons |
Transportation capacity via railway | 8.5mln tons |
The free capacity of the terminal allows an opportunity to trans-ship and transport transit oil in volume:
7.5mln t per year via Baku-Supsa;
0.5mln t per year to Black Sea Ports of Georgia via railway
Dubendi
Capacity of the port | 8mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 320,000 tons |
Connection with Baku-Supsa and BTC | 9mln tons |
Transportation capacity via railway | 8.5mln tons |
Capacity of terminal | 10mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 340,000 t |
Connection with Baku-Novorossiysk | 5mln t per year |
Transportation capacity via railway | 10mln t per year |
The free capacity of the terminal allows an opportunity to trans-ship and transport transit oil in volume:
5.0mln t per year via Baku-Novorossiysk;
2.3mln t per year to Black Sea Ports of Georgia via railway.
Baku
Capacity of the port | 8mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 320,000 tons |
Connection with Baku-Supsa and BTC | 9mln tons |
Transportation capacity via railway | 8.5mln tons |
Capacity of terminal | 10mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 340,000 t |
Connection with Baku-Novorossiysk | 5mln t per year |
Transportation capacity via railway | 10mln t per year |
Capacity of terminal | 5mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 100,000 t |
Connection with pipelines | Absent |
Transportation capacity via railway | 5mln tons per year |
The free capacity of the terminal allows an opportunity to trans-ship and transport transit oil and oil products in volume of 4.3mln tons to Black Sea Ports of Georgia via railway:
Pipelines
Capacity of the port | 8mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 320,000 tons |
Connection with Baku-Supsa and BTC | 9mln tons |
Transportation capacity via railway | 8.5mln tons |
Capacity of terminal | 10mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 340,000 t |
Connection with Baku-Novorossiysk | 5mln t per year |
Transportation capacity via railway | 10mln t per year |
Capacity of terminal | 5mln tons per year |
Volume of reservoir park | 100,000 t |
Connection with pipelines | Absent |
Transportation capacity via railway | 5mln tons per year |
+ | BTC | Baku-Novorossiysk | |
Length | 1786km | 827km | 1411km |
Carrying capacity | 1mln barrels per day/50mln tons per year | 150,000 barrels per day /7.5mln tons per year | 100,000 barrels per day /5.0mln tons per year |
Operation period | From 2006 | From 1999 | From 1997 |
Connection with terminal | Azertrans/Sangachal | Azertrans/Sangachal | Dubendi |
Operator | ВР | ВР | SOCAR |
The repair works on Baku-Supsa pipeline were completed. The pipeline is expected to be put into operation in the near future.
Railway transportation
Average yearly carrying capacity of the Azerbaijani-Georgian railway corridor makes up 14.4mln tons of oil products. In 2007 some 10mln tons of transit and export oil cargos were transported via this route.
Transit scheme
Sangachal Terminal
Dubendi terminal
Терминал Баку
With consideration of loading at full capacity and optimization of the transport operations, the existing oil transportation infrastructure of Azerbaijan may, in the next several years, satisfy demands of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in delivering significant volume of oil and oil products to the ports in the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
Prospects
Due to continuously growing oil production in the Caspian countries, re-establishing the existing and creating new transportation infrastructures, which can easily deliver the energy resources to the world markets, assume great importance. For this purpose, Azerbaijan, in co-operation with its partners, has already completed and/or is under realization stage of the next projects:
Expansion of oil fleet
Construction of oil terminal Garadagh, with a capacity of 25mln tons per year
Expansion of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline up to 1.2mln barrels per day in 2008, with possible further increase up to 1.4-1.6mln barrels per day
Kulevi oil terminal ( Georgia), with a capacity of up to 10mln tons per year, of which construction was completed
Increasing carrying capacity of the Azerbaijani-Georgian railway corridor up to 18mln tons per year in 2008, 22mln in 2009 and 25mln in 2010
The report was provided by the SOCAR Marketing and Economic Operations Department during II Caspian Oil Trade-Transport conference on 23 April 2008 in Baku.