High security measures were taken in the Mediterranean port Adana in southeast Turkey on the eve of an official opening ceremony dedicated to commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline. Arriving in the US-Turkish base of air forces in Injirlik, located outskirts of Adana, the head of states and governments of 32 countries carry out 100km road in special armored automobiles to another port in Ceyhan, which now becomes one of the biggest oil terminals throughout the world, Trend reports citing ITAR-TASS.
A large hipped roof in the tradition of ancient nomads made of modern materials glass and steel has been already constructed in Ceyhan. It was equipped with air conditioners and has a conference hall in the form of amphitheater. An official opening ceremony to open the 1774km-long BTC will start here. The visitors will observe the fulfillment of the tanker, the 8th after the initial commissioning of the BTC pipeline in Baku on 25 May 2005, with Azeri Light. In July it is planned to ship 6.6 million barrels of oil in Ceyhan.
According to specialists estimations, by the end of 2006 it is planned to export up to 500,000 barrels of oil a day via the BTC. The pipeline will work on full capacity in the volume of 1 million barrels a day, or 50 million tons a year in 2008 after the increase of production from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunhsli fields.
Attending the ceremony will be the Turkish President Ahmet Nejdet Sezer, Presidents of Azerbaijan and Georgia, Ilham Aliyev and Mikhael Saakashvili. During the meetings that he present had in Istanbul on Wednesday the sides touched upon the issue on increase of oil deliveries, as well as construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum transnational gas pipeline.
Sezer noted that the implementation of the BTC project brings considerable contribution in the provision of peace and political-economic stability in the region, which is significantly promoted by Turkey, being in the junction of Europe and Asia and transit for the transportation of energy resources to the world markets.